Altaïr&Vega
by StringerB237
Summary: Lucas Scott, looking for inspiration, comes home when his high school needs a new litterature teacher and meets Brooke Davis. She's his student, she's dating his brother and she's about to change his life.
1. Crossroad blues

Hi everyone, before you start reading I'd like to apologize in advance for any grammatical/syntax error you may find in this story. I'm actually french and this is a translation from a story I wrote in French long ago. I hope you'll enjoy it !

* * *

 **A REAL NUTCASE**

 **Brooke Davis**

 _To this very moment, I had never realised how much the game was part of me. But it was already too late, I was trapped by a disease eating me from the inside, day after day..._

Ding.

When she heard the front door bell ring, Brooke knew clients had come in. She didn't move an inch, though. She stayed on her stool right behind the counter, and read the page she was on as fast as possible. Once she was done, she closed the book she was reading, got up from her seat and put on the apron that was patiently waiting next to the cash register.

She slowly walked towards her new clients and when she reached their table, took out the notebook from her apron and the pencil that was behind her right ear.

"Welcome to Karen's Café," she said to them. "What can I get you ? " she asked with a smile.

With quick movements, she wrote down their order and went straight to the kitchen to attach the small piece of paper to the order wheel, completely empty till now. It wasn't surprinsing, since it was a Sunday afternoon... And since recently, Deb had been complaining quite a lot about having too much work, it wasn't such a bad thing that their afternoon had been very quiet.

A few minutes later, she was back to the main room with a tray in her hands to serve her clients. She was heading back to her spot behind the counter when she briefly looked at the only other customer she had, who had not moved a lot since he had arrived.

He had come in an hour ago and when she had welcomed him he had stated not wanting anything. Apparently he just wanted a place to sit down quietly. Usually, Karen wasn't fond of people coming in and out without ordering anything, but since he was the only client at that time and since he looked decent enough, Brooke didn't kick him out. All he had done was take out a notebook and a pen from his bag, placing them on the table in front of him, only to stare at them.

The stranger had a familiar face though... She knew she had seen him before but couldn't recall when or where. She knew for sure it wasn't at the Café, not because she remembered every single face of the people coming in, but because she remembered the handsome ones. And with that face, she would have defnitely remembered him.

He looked like he had tanned a little... Which was very weird, considering the sun had not showed up during the whole month of february. He was propably back from a trip, somewhere very south of Tree Hill. Australia maybe, or India. Brooke had always wanted to go there, but her mother couldn't free herself from work easily. Their last family trip had been years ago to Spain, and Victoria had left midway to go back to her company in a hurry, economical crisis _oblige_. Not that it bothered Brooke in any way, since she'd rather spend time with her father.

Brooke hesitated a bit and finally decided to go and see her mystery client before going back to her reading.

"Still not hungry ? Or thirsty ?" she asked him with a polite smile.

He raised his eyes to meet hers, gave a faint smile before shaking his head and staring back at his notebook.

"I don't mean to be nosy, but can I ask you what you're doing here ?"

"What do you think I'm doing ?"

She frowned, taken aback by his answer.

"I don't know, that's why I'm asking you. You've just been staring at this notebook for almost an hour now..."

She looked at it again and realised she was wrong. He had written quite a few sentences on it but had then furiously crossed them out.

"Do you like reading?" he asked her with a hand gesture towards the seat in front of him, inviting her to sit there.

She hesitated, not willing to leave the cash register on its own. But then, from her seat, she could still keep an eye on it.

"You've been reading a book since I came in," he said once she was in front of him. "So I guess you do like reading ?"

"No I don't," she said, making him smile.

"But then why –"

"Karen – I mean, my boss asked me to. It's actually her son's first novel."

"Huh ?" he said with surprise.

"I've already read the two other books he wrote after this one, but I hated them."

His smile broadened quickly and turned into a laugh that startled her.

Didn't he know he was being rude, laughing at her for no specific reason ? She didn't say anything though, his laughter had quite a nice sound.

"So," he said after regaigning seriousness, "do you hate this one too ?"

"Actually I don't... That's probably why Karen insisted so much that I read it when I told her I didn't like the other two. She must have known..."

"So you're saying it's different from the other two books ?"

Why was she feeling like this was an interrogation ?

"It's – " she said, carefully choosing her words, "It's more authentic. When I was reading the other books, it felt like at some point even the author himself didn't believe a word he was writing. I'm really not a bookworm but these two novels were awful to read. The only reason I forced myself to finish them was because of Karen."

"Interesting..." he whispered, writing some stuff down on his notebook.

That was when she wondered... Was he a journalist ?

"Wait don't tell me you are – Actually who are you ?" she asked with a suspicious look.

"Oh sorry, I forgot to introduce myself !" he said with a smile. "It's just that since you were reading my book I thought you knew who I was."

Since she was reading his... Wait, what ?

"You are..." she muttered, suddenly blushing.

"Nice to meet you Brooke." he said holding out a hand to her.

Karen had probably told him about her.

She shook his hand, and cursed herself for her sweaty palms.

" Hum... Karen won't be back before an hour at least, so..."

" And she left you in charge ?" he asked, his eyebrows raising in surprise.

She nodded in silence. It had been a while since Karen trusted her enough to leave the café for a few hours.

"You must be a good girl then.' he said with another smile.

She blushed even more, which she didn't think was even physically possible.

"I guess so. But I'm not taking back what I said about your other books." she told him before getting up.

Once she was back to her seat next to the cash register, and when she was sure he wasn't looking at her anymore, she took out his book from below the counter and went to the first pages. That's where she had seen his face ! Why had she not read the preface ?

Lucas Scott, 20 years old when the book had been published, born in Tree Hill and raised by a single mom... She already knew all this stuff; Karen had told her numerous times her son's childhood story. She had also seen pictures, but the most recent ones were from more than ten years ago... No way she could have recognised him from these. And she wasn't expecting him to come here out of nowhere... Last time she had heard, he was travelling in South America and was not supposed to come back to Tree Hill anytime soon. If Karen had known he was coming back, she would have gone to fetch him at the airport. Did that mean he was coming unannounced ?

She sighed, still not believing what she had told him about his books. If she had known he was the author, she would have said the same things yes, but with a lot of sugar coating. But he didn't seem to have taken it the wrong way, it was quite the opposite; even if Brooke had no idea what he had found so funny in her critics. Wasn't he supposed to get angry at her ?

Lucas stayed for another half an hour and suddenly stood up from his chair and flashed her a radiant smile before leaving. She blushed again, before remembering who he was. Nathan would not have been very happy to learn she had sort of sympathised with his brother.

Half-brother, to be precise. Lucas was obviously the older one; Karen and Dan had been highschool sweethearts and they had raised him together until he was four and Karen discovered Dan was cheating on her with his new secretary, Deb. Unfortunately for Dan, Deb had gotten pregnant and it turned out she wasn't just a fling for him since he left Karen to be with her.

Yes, Deb, as in the Deb that was currently working in the café's kitchen. For years, she had never spoken to Karen until that fateful night a few years ago, at a charity dinner, where the two women had met and realised they could be good friends. That was almost four years ago and a year after Lucas had left Tree Hill to pursue his writing career. It had not been easy at first and according to Karen, her son had struggled several months before finally finding an editor for his first book.

Brooke had gathered all this information from Nathan and Karen, since she had never met Lucas before. He had left Tree Hill five years ago, when she was still in middle school. She knew from Karen he was a good person, but because of Nathan, she knew she couldn't get along too much with him. Nathan could forgive her for a lot of things, but fraternizing with Lucas was not one of them.

Speaking of, she was supposed to see him after her service. When Karen came back, she immediately told her Lucas had come by; at first, Karen thought she had confused him with someone else and when she realised it was true, she erupted with such joy that Brooke told her she would stay with Deb until closing tonight so that Karen could go and be with her son, since she hadn't seen him in a while. She genuinely hesitated but eventually accepted after a lot of insistance from Brooke.

When she called Peyton to tell her she couldn't come tonight, her friend said it was no big deal, she could come herself to the café. About twenty minutes later, Peyton was walking through the front door, accompanied by Nathan. When she saw him coming in, she immediately hid her book below the counter.

"Peyton said you're locked up in here," Nathan told her with a grin.

She stuck out her tongue at him while he was walking around the bar laughing and planted a kiss on her head. He then headed to the kitchen, most probably to greet his mother, and came back to sit next to her, his left arm hanging loosely around her shoulders.

"Karen had to go," she explained to Peyton who was still standing across from her, "so I'm staying here."

"What was so urgent ?" she asked with a frown.

"Well, actually..." Brooke hesitated, watching Nathan furtively.

"What is it?" he asked, intrigued.

"Well," she murmured with apparent nervousness, " her son is in town"

Peyton raised her eyebrows, suprised, while Nathan was clenching his teeth.

"Really," he said, apparently not suprised by the news, "and when did he get here ?"

"I don't know... recently I think. But why aren't you surprised ?"

"I knew he was coming back."

Since when did he know ? He hadn't said a word to her or Peyton.

"You know, my dad is part of the school council..."

"We already know that," Peyton interrupted him, "what does that have to do with Lucas ?"

"Did you seriously think Mrs Ogher was going to stay in school any longer ?"

Their litterature teacher was indeed pregnant, and already at her seventh month when their holiday had started, a week ago.

"So they got her a substitute", Peyton said as she understood, "and it's..."

"Yep. The infamous writer, Lucas Scott." he said with a bitter tone.

Oh god.

She had just told her new litterature teacher that his books were rubbish.

"Did you talk to him ?" Nathan asked her.

"Kind of, yeah. But I didn't konw who he was, he only told me before he left."

"Oh..." he muttered. "Well you will have to talk to him anyway, he's your teacher now."

But not his. Nathan felt probably very lucky right now not to be with them in litterature.

"He seemed a little... weird."

"No kidding," Nathan added, "the guy's a nutcase. But I bet you he'll be welcomed here as a semi-god. The prodigual son returning home."

Despite his obvious resentment, Nathan wasn't completely wrong here. Even if it wasn't the case for Brooke, his three books were extremely popular and had quickly been become bestsellers, especially here in Tree Hill. That was the main reason why he could afford all these trips around the world he had done the past year. Brooke knew that for a fact, since she was the one sticking up his postcards on the café's walls every week. He had covered almost every continent and made Brooke very envious at each new postcard.

 **Lucas Scott**

Lucas was holding his coffee-filled mug with both hands, hoping to get warmer this way. Leaving Argentina and its hot weather to Tree Hill's cold winter seemed easier when he was still in the southern continent.

Karen poured herself a cup of coffee and came to sit opposite him, at their kitchen table. A smile stuck on her lips since he had greeted her earlier that afternoon, she sipped her drink before putting it on the table, staring silently at her son.

"Mom you're staring a lot," Lucas said diverting his eyes from her.

"When you'll have a kid who's gone for five years without coming home once, you'll want to stare at him too," she retorted. "I still can't believe you're going to teach here. And that you didn't say a word about it."

"That's called a surprise, mom," he said with a grin, "otherwise it's just not one."

"Well if it wasn't for Brooke, I would still not know you're here. The poor girl, I left her the whole afternoon at work when it's her last day of holiday."

"Then why don't you go back ? I wouldn't mind."

"She insisted a lot."

Why on earth would she do that ?

"That's just the way she is," his mother explained to him, reading his thoughts once again. "Brooke is always like that."

He nodded to that, remembering their meeting. She looked very... spontaneous, to say the least. Never had he met anyone so honest about his other two books. And the fact that she was willing to sacrifice her last holiday afternoon just gave him more reason to think his first impression of her was spot on.

"She's been working here for a year and a half ?"

"Yes, that's about right."

If he recalled correctly what his mother had told him about Brooke, she had only been looking for a temporary job at first. Eventually she felt comfortable at the café and was willing to work during week days too, after school. Three eveings a week and one afternoon per weekend. Exactly like Lucas when he was in school high, five years prior to her.

"Is she one of your students ?"

"Yeah."

He had indeed noticed her name on the list that had been sent to him by the school. And after their meeting, he had to admit he was eager to see her in class.

"I really hope my first day will be fine...", he whispered to his mom, his apprehension suddenly kicking in.

"Don't worry," Karen replied with a warm smile," you'll be a great teacher, I'm sure of it. And the students are gonna love you especially since you're from here, just like them."

He had never thought of coming back to Tree Hill, not so soon at least. After his first book was published, everything went on so quickly : the press tour, the press conferences, the fancy parties... And then he was asked to write another book, before the surprise effect of the first one could disappear. So he did it. Another success that he honestly wasn't expecting at all considering the way he had written it. Then he was asked a third book and again, he had done his job and the public had been here a third time.

That's when his editor retired. It was now his daughter who was going to care of him, Lindsay. Much to his relief, Lindsay turned out to be her father's opposite, and when he told her he needed a break to put things into perspective, something he hadn't had time to do in four years, she gave him her absolute approval. So he went on a world tour, looking for, well probably inspiration. It wasn't just inspiration he was missing, there was something else too but he could not put a word on this void he was feeling. All he knew was that he hadn't found it in all the cities he had visited, so he had naturally decided to come back to his hometown. By chance, the high school was looking for a litterature teacher and directly contacted him. He hadn't even applied to anything but for some reason they had thought of him, even if he didn't have a teacher degree.

His mother pulled him from his thoughts. : "do you have a list of your students ?"

"It's in my bag... Wait a second." he said standing up. He went to his room and took out a green sheet of paper from his suitcase. "There you go." he said once back in the kitchen.

She thanked him with a smile and quickly scanned through the list.

"He's not in here."

Karen looked up at him, frowning in a confused way.

"The one you're looking for," he explained, "he's not one of my students."

"How do you know..."

" I know you mom," he simply said with a smile, "and honestly I'm glad Nathan is not on this."

It was one of the first things he had done when he received that list. Not that he was scared of him, but...

Nathan wasn't really the friendliest person in the world when he was around Lucas. _Only_ when he was around Lucas.

He hadn't seen him in five years, so of course he might habe changed... Maybe he would even stay calm if they met in school. Even if Nathan wasn't one of his students, he was bound to see him there.

"You know Nathan has changed a lot in five years..."

"I don't doubt that mom, but I'm pretty sure he still hates me."

He didn't even know why his brother despised him that much. What could be his reasons, when Lucas was the one who had to grow up without a father ? He wasn't the one ignored by Dan... Lucas had nerver understood where all his hatred came from, but his defense mechanisms had always pushed him not to take any shit from Nathan.

"Well you'll see him at the café anyway."

"What do you m– oh right, I forgot that Deb's working with you now."

"That's not why," Karen retorted, "I'm talking about Brooke."

"What about Brooke ?" he asked, taking another sip of coffee.

"Didn't I tell you ?" she asked back in surprise, "they're dating, so Nathan often comes to see her when she's working."

Lucas almost spat out his drink; he cleared his throat, his hand on his lips, and gave an incredulous look to his mother.

"For real ?"

"Yes," she said, her brows furrowing, "why do you sound so surprised ?"

Well... He didn't know really why. He just coudn't picture them together. But then again, he didn't Brooke, or even Nathan.

"It's just the way she talked to me... I thought if Nathan had a girlfriend he would have forbidden her to even look at me."

"I doubt that", Karen told him with obvious disapproval, "and anyway Brooke is not the kind to quietly listen to orders."

That, he could have guessed on his own.

"How long have they been together ?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Well, they were already dating before she got the job, so... I guess it's been two years now ?"

Two years... That meant she knew Nathan really well and explained her embarrassment when he told her who he was. That, and the fact that she had denigrated his books right to his face.

"What about you ?" his mother asked him, "you still have no one to introduce to me ?"

Lucas looked up at her, amused by her curiousity.

"I think I'm gonna rest a little..." he said standing up, holding back a smile.

"That means there _is_ someone !" she cried.

 **Brooke Davis**

Once Nathan had closed the café's door on his way out, Brooke could finally get back to her book.

"It's not that big of a deal if you're reading his book !" said Peyton, rolling her eyes.

"Are you kidding ? Whenever he sees one of these he wants to go all pyromaniac on them !"

Peyton got up from her seat and walked around the corner to sit next to her best friend.

"He doesn't really have a choice here" she added, "he's our teacher now."

"I know, but... He's the most stubborn person I know."

"Mmh, no," Peyton said, pretending to ponder on it, "there's you before him."

"Ha ha", she retorted with a smile. "Well it's not like he's never been like that before. Do you remember when he asked me out ?"

"He litteraly harassed you," she rolled her eyes, "and me too, at the same time."

Brooke's smile broadened while thinking about it. She had no idea at that time what she was walking into, but had never regretted her decision. Nathan was genuinely nice and she was happy to have met him, even under such unusal circumstances.

"I have to go", Peyton said, "but you'll be fine, right ? You look so absorbed in that book... Is it that good ?"

"For now, yes," she said with a smile, "I hope his lessons will be just as interesting."

"Well, it's not like he can do worse than Mrs Ogher." Peyton said with a laugh.

She wasn't wrong on this; Mrs Ogher's litterature lessons had been the most boring hours of Brooke's entire life. And they were also associated to her worse grades ever, hence the importance of her grades to come and the fact that getting on the wrong side of her new teacher by criticising his writing skills was probably not the best thing to do.

Lucas – or rather, Mr Scott didn't say anything about that the next morning, when she saw him on the parking lot. His car was three spaces next to hers, and she couldn't help greeting him when she saw him getting out of his car.

"There are parking spots for teachers."

He turned to her, his eyebrows raised, and smiled at her when he recognised her.

"They're next to the gym," she added with a smile.

"I didn't know that... Thanks.", he said while locking his car doors. "So, are you in a hurry to go back to school ?" he asked her while they were walking towards the main entrance.

Strangely enough, he was walking very slowly, his hands were shaking, and he was looking stealthily around him.

"Not really, no. But you look kind of... nervous."

"Re-really ?" he stuttered. "I might be a little stressed about my first class."

Brooke couldn't help but be moved and smiled; she _had_ to tell this to Karen tonight.

"Don't worry, it's all gonna be fine. Actually, don't tell anyone I said this to you," she whispered, "but everyone hated Mrs Ogher so they're really glad we have a new teacher," she added with a wink.

It seemed like he managed to relax a little before they reached the entrance door.

"Thank you." she said when he opened the door for her.

"Well then I guess I'm going... This way, I think." he said pointing at a corridor on their left.

"Yes," she replied with a grin, "that's the way to the teachers' lounge. See you later then !"

The good thing was, he didn't seem mad at all about their encounter in the café. So he really was amused by her criticisms.

When she got to her locker, she looked for Peyton but didn't see her. Taking out her phone, she called her but got no answer. Instead, a few seconds later, she received a text from Peyton telling her she was at the library.

What was she doing there so early ? She decided to join her before heading to her class, and when she arrived in the library, noticed that it was completely empty, apart from the librarian of course, and Peyton who was in the music section.

"What are you doing here ?" she asked her friend once she was behind her.

Peyton jumped up with fright and turned around, relaxing when she saw Brooke.

"I just came to give back a CD I borrowed before the holiday," she shrugged, "and I'm picking another one."

She glided her fingers on the row nearest to her, reading the album names at the same time.

"Can you hurry ?" Brooke pressed her. "Nathan is probably waiting for us."

"Well he can wait a little, it won't hurt him." she said with mischief.

Brooke rolled her eyes, now used to the constant bickering between Nathan and Peyton. Ever since they knew him, so basically since she was dating him, Peyton just seemed to take any opportunity she had to fight with him.

"You're being mean P. Sawyer."

"No, I'm being funny." she retorted. Peyton stopped checking the CDS in front of her and turned to face her friend, "What is going on with you two anyway ?"

"We are dating in case you didn't notice.", Brooke said nervously.

"Brooke there's no one here apart from us and Tommy the librarian who couldn't care less about our problems," Peyton said, leaning against the shelf behind her. "I've noticed for a while now, you act differently around him."

Brooke sighed, shaking her head with resign : she had noticed it too.

"I don't know what to think him... Of us.", she admitted softly. "He went from stranger, to fake boyfriend, to real friend while being a fake boyfriend and now... I have no idea where we're going."

Peyton raised a brow and said, "Are you telling me that your fake couple might become a real one ?"

"No," she denied with absolutely no conviction. "I don't know, maybe ?"

Peyton opened her mouth, ready to reply but stayed silent when they heard something fall. A book, or any object resting on one of these shelves that someone had dropped. Just like Brooke's, her eyes got bigger all of a sudden, when they both realised they had been heard. Her little secret with Nathan was out.

* * *

And that's it for chapter one. Again, I hope my English is not too awkward... Feel free to review :)


	2. I know

**I KNOW**

 **Brooke Davis**

"What am I gonna do ?" she whispered, unable to move.

Unlike her, Peyton had not turned into stone and ran around the shelf to see who had spied on them. Brooke turned her head and saw her friend watching her from the other side of the shelf, shaking her head in dismay. She snapped from her cataleptic state and walked to her friend's side, looking around them stealthily and realising there was indeed no one around them.

"What am I gonna do," she repeated glancing around her, "what am I..."

Peyton grabbed her by the shoulders and whispered in an unshaken voice, "Calm down Brooke. You're freaking out."

"I'm not freaking out."

"Yes you are."

Her voice did sound suddenly high-pitched. Brooke nodded silently, trying to figure out what had just happened.

"But somebody heard us.", she told Peyton.

"It doesn't mean they got it..."

"Unless that person is a complete idiot, I'm pretty sure he got that I'm not really dating Nathan," she retorted, taking a step back. "If he – "

"We have to get to class," Peyton interrupted her, "whoever it is that heard us, I don't think they'll say anything for now. We'll figure this out Brooke, I promise."

She trusted her, so much that Brooke could have trusted her with her life, but... This wasn't just about her, Nathan was involved too.

But Peyton was right, they had to go to their classroom and leave that matter for later. And maybe, _maybe,_ whoever it was that had heard them had no idea what they were talking about. If only it could be true...

Nathan had asked her out two years ago, in January. She had been completely taken aback, for she had never really talked to him before that.

The only time they had talked was a few weeks before, around November. He had helped her out with two boys who had been way too clingy for a while. They were seniors and had literally harrassed her to get her to date one of them... probably both. She hadn't been very seduced by the idea and had in all logic told them she wasn't the least interested. Apparently they had not been satisfied by her answer and continued to try to change her mind. And one afternoon, while they had been trying for a gazillion time, one of the Ravens' newest players came to her help, telling them that if they did not disappear quickly they would have to deal with him. The first thing Brooke had thought was that he probably had a bad reputation, for the two seniors didn't think twice before running off. She had thanked him afterwards but had never seen him after that, only during basketball games since she was part of the cheerleaders.

Brooke had not immediately realised Nathan and the guy who had helped her out were the same person, but when she did, her interest suddenly awoke.

Despite Peyton's reluctance, she had decided to ask him why he was so desperate to go out with her when he didn't even know her. Her best friend kept telling her all he wanted was to put her in his bed and display her to his friends as his property, but Brooke knew that wasn't just it and she had been right. Nathan told her that he didn't really want to date her for real, he just needed a stand-in girlfriend to get rid of his own stubborn suitors. She didn't understand why he couldn't just tell them off and he explained that he had tried that before, but it had just made things worse. With a girlfriend next to him though, surely they would give up ?

That was when she realised he hadn't chosen her randomly; he knew she had the same problem and he had a way to help them both at the same time. He had also promised her their arrangement wouldn't last long, two weeks at the very most.

And yet two years later, they were still "together". Weeks had turned into months and when they realised they both were fine with that, months turned into years. With time, their relationship had evolved : at first, Brooke didn't trust him at all, but now things were completely different. They had learned to get to know each other and had slowly grown attached to each other, which was probably the main reason why their arrangement had never ceased. Brooke didn't want to date anyone for now, and neither did Nathan. It was all very simple : if either of them felt attracted to someone, anyone, they would put an end to their fake couple. But so far, it had never happened and so the two of them had stayed together.

She had come to care a lot for Nathan, way more than for a regular friend.

 **Lucas Scott**

Lucas took a breath, grabbed the door handle and went in the teacher's lounge.

He had knocked on this very same door not so long ago, when he had wanted to meet with one of his teachers. He had never been into the room, an absolute sanctuary where students' presence was strictly forbidden. That might have been why he felt a little out of place when he went in.

He immediately pulled himself together, remembering he wasn't a kid anymore, he had to get used to being a teacher. Lucas looked around him : the room was quite spatious, filled with four – no, five round tables, a little fridge, some cupboards, a micro-wave... And of course, the essential coffee machine.

Three other teachers were already here, sitting around a table; for some reason, they had suddenly stopped speaking when he entered the room. Lucas thought at first it was out of courtesy but when he greeted them and received no response at all, he figured maybe it wasn't just that.

Mechanically, he went to the coffee maker and realised he had no idea how to use it. His last years spent without working at the café had apparently erased everything he had learned about those machines... So he turned to his colleagues to ask for their help, and once again was completely ignored.

Why were they giving him the cold shoulder ? He had never seen them before, he hadn't been their student so why would they be mad at him ?

He got pulled out of his thoughts by his cellphone, which started to vibrate frenetically. Who was calling this early in the morning ?

Well, Lindsay of course, who else could it be ?

He walked to the nearest corner of the room, making sure they wouldn't hear his conversation and answered the call.

"Finally !" Lindsay cried, tearing up his right eardrum. "I almost thought you were avoiding my calls."

"Why would I do that ?" he said half-amused.

"Because I want to know about your new book."

Which was a very good reason to avoid her.

"What book ?" Lucas asked, not remembering telling her about a new book even once.

"The one you were supposed to start writing three days ago, you know, when you came to see me ?"

Now he remembered; he had indeed been to New York right before coming back to Tree Hill, to meet Lindsay and give her the debrief she had asked. There, he did say something about getting back to writing as soon as possible.

"Listen Luke, I gave you the sabbatical year you wanted", Lindsay sighed, "my associates all said I was just doing a rookie mistake believing you, but I still decided to trust you. It's been a year now, and I need a text, do you get that ?"

"Yeah, I, hum – I'll get to it tonight, I swear."

She sighed heavily, obviously not buying it, "Just write something, please. Give me a draft, anything will be fine."

Except he didn't want to write just anything. That's what he had done for his two previous books and even if they had turned into bestsellers, he hated them and he hated that _he_ had written them. He was not doing that again.

"I'll try," he said with little conviction.

"Thank you," she said with a smile, "and one more thing... When are you coming here ?"

"You mean New York ?" he asked with a frown. "Can't I just send you my drafts by email ?"

"I'm not talking about that, you dork. When are you coming to see me ?"

He gulped, having feared this conversation since the moment he had left New York.

"Actually, Linds", he said with embarrasment, "about what happened friday night – "

"You mean our night together ?"

"Yes, right. We were very drunk and I – "

"Oh please don't say it was just the alcohol talking. If we had sex, it's because we wanted to."

He couldn't refute that; yes, Lindsay was a very charming woman, seductive, funny... And yes, to some extent, he was physically attracted to her. But that was all there was to it, and he didn't want that kind of relationship, not anymore.

"I still think it was a mistake."

"Well then we disagree. Don't you think you should at least give us a chance ?"

"I'm staying in Tree Hill for a while", he sighed, "that's miles away from New York. It wouldn't work."

"Just think about it, alright ? You may change your mind. I have to go, I'll call you soon for the new book.

"You don't have to, I'll call you myse – "

Too late, she had already hung up. Lucas smiled, picturing her in her office, her desk drowning under piles of manuscripts yet to be read, a cup of coffee in one hand and a handful of nicotine patches plastered on her arms.

Lindsay tended to be quite hyperactive but was still an excellent editor, always anwering to the needs of her writers. However, she also knew what she wanted and when she had something in mind, it was better not to get in her way.

Once he hang up, Lucas didn't try to talk to those who kept ignoring him, and figured that maybe he had just come across some weird teachers. He sat at a table and took out his schedule. His first class was only in an hour but he had decided to come here early to go back over the last lessons of the teacher he was replacing, which she had emailed him a few weeks ago. All he had to do was to follow her instructions.

An hour later, Lucas entered his classroom in a state of nervousness never reached before that only got higher when he saw the room was already filled with his students. Once again he felt a bit unsettled, having trouble realizing he was not a student anymore and was supposed to teach these fifteen kids who were chatting loudly, apparently not noticing him. He suddenly remembered the teachers he had hated, all their tics and mannerisms, and promised himself not to copy them.

"Good morning everyone," he said with his loudest voice, hoping to silence them. It worked, and all the students who were still standing went to sit at their own desks.

So far, so good.

"Let me introduce myself," he said with a smile, "I'm Luke – Lucas. Scort. Scott. Lucas Scott."

At first it was only one student who started laughing, and then they were two, and soon enough, half of the students in front of him were laughing their heads' off while the other half was desperately trying to remain serious, most likely out of politeness.

Lucas tried to get their attention back, "I'll be replacing your literrature teacher..."

He stopped, aware that no one was listening to him. He had messed up his introduction, stuttered like an amateur and given them the opporunity to laugh at him for the rest of his days in this high school.

Well done, Luke, really well done...

He tried to talk again, but it was no use. He had completely lost them and soon they would be completely out of control and –

Lucas jumped up in fright, like the rest of the class, when he heard a loud crashing sound from the end of the room. Everyone became silent at once and turned around to stare at the young blonde girl who had fallen flat on her face, her chair knocked down on the ground next to her. Then, very quickly, his students started laughing again, but not at him this time. And during that second when no one was looking at him anymore, he tried to regain his composure as fast as he could.

"Oh come on," cried the girl sitting next to the clumsy blonde, " leave her alone !"

Looking exasperated, she helped her friend up before sitting back herself, while her classmates were gradually getting silent again.

That's when he recognised her; not the one who had fallen but her friend, the one who had basically told them all to shut up. It was Brooke. While every student was turning back to face him again, Lucas noticed that the blonde girl looked stunned and seemed to be mad at Brooke. He frowned a little, wondering how a student would fall off her chair for no reason at all, but quickly remembered his students were ready to listen. He had to catch their attention, preferably without making a fool of himself.

"I was asked to continue where Mrs Ogher stopped." he explained to them with a steady voice. "Can you remind me what work you're studying ?"

No one answered; he really thought this was all going to turn into a massive fiasco, until a rickety hand finally raised in the air.

"Bel Ami", the student said.

"Alright," he said with relief, "And who wrote it ?"

"Maupassant!" another student answered.

For the next ten minutes, he kept asking them simple short questions about the book. Everytime a student gave an answer, he would ask for their name and then try to remember it, a game they seemed to enjoy. Thankfully, they were all very active and for the most part even seemed interested. Well, all of them apart from one particular student, who had still not spoken once.

"And who is his most regular mistress ? Brooke ?" he called before anyone could answer.

She didn't move an inch, and when he looked at her more carefully, saw that she wasn't listening at all, she was scribbling things down on her paper sheet. Her blonde friend, whom he recalled was Peyton, gave her a slight nudge that was propably supposed to stay discreet but ended up startling Brooke.

"Yes ?" she said, making her classmates laugh again.

"Duroy's mistress, what's her name ?"

"Hum... I don't remember." Brooke replied with an awkward shrug.

He felt a bit caught off-guard and wondered if she was just kidding or not. If she really didn't know... Wait, that was impossible, her name appeared more than a hundred times in the novel, no way she could have forgotten it.

"Anyone else ?"

"Clotilde."

He watched out for Brooke's reaction, but she didn't seem to care and kept looking down on her desk.

"Alright, I think this brainstorming session is over now. We still have... Forty minutes left, so I'm gonna ask you to write a short text. An essay, a poem, a critic – anything you want, as longs as it has something to do with Bel Ami."

"What do you mean by something to do with it ?" Peyton asked him with a confused look.

"Well," he said while leaning back on the board behind him, "it can be a place featured in the book, like Paris. Or a particular character that marked you, one of the book's themes, the author himself. Anything you want. Don't hesitate to speak out your mind, I won't mark your papers, I just want to know what inspires you in that book." he said with an encouraging smile.

Though they didn't look very thrilled at first, they eventually all wrote something down, up to three pages for some. At the end of the class, each student left their copy right before leaving the room; that's when he noticed that Brooke seemed in a hurry, for she almost threw her paper on his desk before rushing away.

 **Nathan Scott**

When his class finally ended, Nathan left his classroom and let out a long sigh. He wasn't a bad student, he could even get good grades when he wanted to; the thing was, he didn't like school. Sitting down for hours at a desk to write down things he didn't care about wasn't his favorite activity. But everyone had to go through it, so he couldn't object to it. He still felt a surge of freedom everytime he left a classroom.

In the main hall, he saw a few of his team-mates who reminded him of the meeting they had with the coach, this evening at 5 pm sharp. How could he forget about it, he _was_ the captain after all.

Once he had taken the books he needed from his locker, he automatically went to Brooke's. He had not seen her or Peyton this morning, which was quite unusual. Getting closer to her locker, he saw that she was with Peyton and that they looked like they were fighting; at least Peyton seemed to be very pissed and Brooke very troubled.

"How many times to you want me to apologize ?" Brooke asked, rolling her eyes.

"I just want to know why you did it," Peyton said back with her arms crossed, before noticing him, "ah! There you are ! You won't believe what you girlfriend did to me."

He held back a laugh and went to stand behind Brooke. She turned her head and smiled when she saw him. He kissed her cheek and slid his arm around her waist.

The great thing about the fact they had been pretending to date for a long time was that they didn't have to make out everytime they were in public to convince their friends they were really goint out together. Well, to be fair, kissing her had not been a problem at the beginning of their relationship, but now it just made him uncomfortable, so he'd rather avoid that as much as possible.

Anyway, it had been a while since they had done anything more than holding hands or hugging, and no ne was suspecting a thing.

His idea of pretending to be in a relationship with her had seemed so absurd at first that he thought maybe it would actually work. Of course Brooke didn't want to at first, but she had come to him to know why he wanted to be with her, and when she understood they would both benefit from their deal, she agreed to it.

"She pushed me to the floor, right in the middle of class." Peyton said, outraged.

"What ?" said Nathan, raising an eyebrow, "Why did you do that ?"

"That's a very good question ! Why, Brooke ?"

"Hum – It wasn't on purpose."

She sounded strangely nervous, her eyes stealthily going from Peyton to him.

"Fine," Peyton said with a smile, "I'll forget about it if you cook dinner tonight."

Brooke smiled immediately, looking relieved, "Deal. Well, my father will be doing the cooking, but that's pretty much the same, right ? You can come too if you want." she added to Nathan.

"Thanks," he said with a smile, "but I don't want to bother your dad."

"You won't, he adores you."

"I think what he means," Peyton said with a frown, "is that _I_ bother him, right ?"

"Yeah, sure, " he sighed, slightly shaking his head, "Now that you mention it, you do – "

"Oh for god's sake" Broke cried with a stern look, "can you two stop fighting for one minute ?"

Peyton gave him the same amused look he had. While it was true that they often fought, Nathan had to admit that most of the time, they did so just to annoy Brooke.

"I didn't see you this morning," he said to change the subject, "where were you ?"

He noticed Brooke suddenly tensed, and when he looked at her more closely, saw that she looked quite nervous all of a sudden.

"We went to the library", Peyton said, " and then we were going to be late so we went straight to class."

"Right.", Brooke added with a faint voice.

From her reaction, it was obvious they were hiding something from him, but he knew them very well : if it was all they were willing to say for now, he wouldn't get anything else from them.

A minute later, the three of them were walking towards their next class. Brooke was babbling on about a dress her father had bought her for her birthday.

"She's so pretty !" she said with shiny eyes, "I don't know how he knew which one to buy – "

" Good question Brooke," her friend replied, refraining a laugh, "maybe it's because you _accidentally_ left a page of the magasine where you found it, in your dad's office ? After circling it with a red marker of course."

Nathan laughed loudly, and quickly stopped when he saw the scowl on Brooke's face.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she said with an innocent look, "is it really my fault if –" she stopped speaking suddenly, turning to him, "What's wrong ?"

She had probably felt his arm tighten around her hip, and from the worried look on her face had noticed he had tensed up. He slightly shook his head and simply averted his eyes.

Lucas was here, a few meters in front of them, walking in their direction. They were going to cross ways but if he ignored him, Lucas wouldn't say anything and –

"Hi Nathan."

Seriously ? His half-brother was really a complete moron. Instead of walking past them silently, he chose to slow down when he reached them, flashing him with what he guessed was supposed to be a friendly smile. Nathan wasn't dumb though, and he was not falling into his trap.

He just couln't stand him, it's like it was in his blood to hate him. He didn't get why everyone else idolized him so much. All he had done was write a book about himself, nothing else ! Nathan could have done the same !

But he wasn't blind, this admiration he got from everyone had started a long time ago, way before he had started writing books. He had been pitied so much when Dan abandoned him and ever since then, every single person in Tree Hill had pampered him. Well, maybe he was amplifying things a bit, but sometimes, when he heard his teachers speak of Lucas, they seriously sounded as if he had completely brainwashed them.

He sped up, dragging the girls away with him, and whispered to his half-brother, "Don't ever talk to me again."

Brooke kept staring at him, visibly surprised by his reaction, and glanced over her shoulder at her teacher.

"You don't have to be like that." she then told him, shaking her head in disagreement.

"That was really childish from you," Peyton added in the same tone.

"Believe me," he told them, cut to the quick, "this is the most mature reaction I've ever had with him."

 **Peyton Sawyer**

"At least we haven't heard anything about it." Brooke, who was sitting opposite her, told her in a hushed tone.

"There's no need to whisper Brooke." she told her with a smile.

They had isolated themselves from their usual cheerleading lunch table for a reason, after all.

"And it's alright", she added, "I doubt my fall will be today's gossip, I'm not that popular."

"I wasn't talking about that, and again I'm really sorry for doing that but I just wanted to help Lucas. He looked so nervous and everyone was making fun of him – "

"And you couldn't think of anything else to distract them ?" she asked, feigning annoyance.

Brooke looked at her with a sheepish look on her face, "I just did the first thing that came to my mind..."

"It's fine, really," she said with a shrug, "and I get why you didn't want to tell Nathan. I didn't think he was that pissed against his brother !"

Brooke shrugged, "Me neither. We should talk to him about it. But anyway, back to what I was saying, we still haven't heard of a rumour about a fake couple..."

Peyton sighed and nodded silently. If the one who had heard them talk was a gossip, everyone in their school would have already known about Brooke and Nathan, but they hadn't heard anything about that... yet.

"We do agree we shouldn't tell Nathan anything for now ?"

Peyton nodded again, "He looks busy enough with his brother."

"But still, we should find out who it is. I could investigate."

She chuckled, the image of Brooke dressed as Sherlock Holmes coming to her mind.

"I can do it !" Brooke cried, trying to be convincing, "Maybe if I ask the librarian – "

"It was a movie shelf." she cut her off. Brooke raised an eyebrow in confused way, "He or she was in the video library. It's a start."

"It's not really – "

"It is." Peyton insisted, "Let me take care of that, and you go talk to Nathan about his attitude with his brother."

Brooke winced; it was true that she had not left her with the most pleasant task, but she was dead set on finding out whose wandering ears had her friend so worried.

Brooke was more than just a friend, she was her only family. Well, technically she still had her father too, but she could only meet him once a year, if she was lucky. The rest of the year, he kept travelling from one military base to another. Brooke, on the other hand, had never left; she and her father, Ted, had watched over her even since she was a kid, when her mother died. Her father trusted them, since he had been neighbors with Ted for a while.

Even though she was old enough to live on her own, Peyton still went to the Davis's whenever she was invited. Their house had become her second home.

That's why she was not letting this go. She would track down that little rascal and convince him to keep quiet.

When they were done with their lunch, Brooke and her went out of the cafeteria; while they were walking down the main hall to get to their lockers she noticed a student on their right, leaning on the wall. They walked past him and heard him call her name after a few steps. They turned around at the same time, and the boy was now right in front of them, looking at them with a hint of a smile.

"Can we talk ? It won't take long."

"And who are you ?" Brooke asked immediately with a frown, "How about introducing yourself first ?"

Peyton gave her a nudge and when her friend turned to look at her, an eyebrow raised, she slightly shook her head.

"What ?" Brooke told her, apparently not understanding her signals.

"He's been with us in maths since our first year, and in PE." she whispered to her, though she knew he could hear everything.

"Oh." Brooke said, blushing a bit, "Sorry about that, hum... What's your –"

"Julian." she said before he could answer, "Baker, right ?"

He nodded silently. Unlike Brooke, Peyton had always been good at memorizing people's names.

"So, can I talk to you ?" he asked her again, staring at her.

"Sure." she said with a shrug.

After telling Brooke they would meet at the end of the afternoon, Peyton followed him, unaware of where he was taking her. She quickly realised he was just looking for a quiet spot. He eventually stopped in another hall and leaned against the wall, just like when he had waited for her.

"I know."

He didn't say anything else and Peyton didn't need him to.

"Why were spying on us ?" she asked with a frown.

He shook his head and said with a shrug, "I wasn't, I just happened to be there."

Peyton silently scanned him and remembered what her father had told her a long time ago, when she was just a kid. According to him, by calmly observing a person, one could easily judge their level of dangerousness.

However, deciphering Julian seemed much more complicated than that.

"So ? What do you want ?" she asked him dryly.

"I need a favor."

"And why are you telling _me_ this ? Why not Brooke ?"

He shrugged at her in such an offhand way that she suddenly felt the surge to punch him in the face.

"It's because I need you, not her."

 **Brooke Davis**

"I'm coming !" she yelled after hearing Karen call her name for a second time.

She left the kitchen in a hurry, where she had been chatting with Deb, and grabbed the tray that was resting on the counter, where Karen had been sitting all along, checking her bills.

"Check for table three", her boss told her with her usual warm smile.

Karen could smile in almost all circumstances. It wasn't out of sheer politeness, but because she was genuinely delighted most of the time. And tonight, she had been on cloud nine the whole evening. Brooke figured it probably had something to do with her son being back in town.

Once she got the money from table three, she went back to the register et gave it to Karen, keeping her tip in her apron.

"So how was your day at school ?" Karen asked her.

Brooke sat on a stool, opposite her boss, "It was alright."

"Really ?" Karen asked, looking up at her, "You seem a little off-colour today."

She looked away, avoiding Karen's insistent look. Not that with a single glance, she could guess that Brooke had been lying about going out with Nathan all this time, and that some stranger had discovered it this morning, but still, she prefered to be careful around Karen.

"No, really, I'm fine."she insisted with a polite smile.

"Good. And Lucas, did you see him today ?"

"Yes, this morning. Actually I think we were his first class, he looked really edgy."

"Did it go wrong ?" she immediately asked, worried.

"No, he did great for a first class, everyone was thrilled." she said, making Karen look more relieved.

"Thank you."

Of course Karen had not thanked her, why would she ? Brooke turned around to see Lucas standing right behind her and grinning at her.

"No need to thank me," she said while he sat next to her.

"But didn't you help me this morning ?"

Without apparent reason, Brooke turned red. She had thought for sure he hadn't noticed anything about the chair incident.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." she murmured.

"Neither do I," Karen told them with a lost look on her face, "Did it go well or not ?" she asked her son.

"Everything went fine, I'll tell you all about it at home. I was just swinging by to thank Brooke."

Karen gave her a quizzical look, to which she simply shrugged.

"Well, I guess miss Sawyer is exceptionally clumsy then." he said with amusement.

She held back a smile, "Your words, sir."

"Oh please don't call me that," he said with a wince, "at least not when we're out of school. It makes me feel like I'm twenty years older."

Karen gave him a sarcastic laugh, "Believe me, you never get used to it."

"That's because you've always stayed young mom."

"Yeah, right.", she said, rolling her eyes, before turning to Brooke, "He is right though, you don't have to be so formal with him here, and you're like family anyway."

Brooked lowered her eyes a little, feeling that she was blushing again. She liked that Karen thought of her as family, and she liked when she treated her as her own daughter. If Brooke could have chosen her mother, Karen would have definitely been her first choice.

"Alright," she said to Lucas before turning to her boss, "Can I leave a little early tonight ? I'm supposed to cook, my father's coming home late and Peyton is expecting a feast..."

"Of course, after all the extra hours you did yesterday it's the least I can give you. Are you walking back home ?"

"Yeah, why ?"

It was her usual routine, the café was only twenty minutes from her house.

"Lucas could drop you off ?" she asked, glancing at him at the same time.

"Sure." he said with a shrug.

"Hum... Fine, but I was gonna stay another thirty minutes, is that alright with you, si– Lucas ?"

"I can wait."

She thanked him with a smile. He then looked around the room, as if searching for someone.

"Do the other teachers come here sometimes ?" he asked them both.

Brooke thought about it, "Not really, no. Sometimes during the weekend. Why do you ask ?"

"I thought maybe I could meet some here."

"Hum... Can't you meet them, I don't know, at school ?" she said with amusement.

Mother and son both chuckled, before he explained, choosing his words with care, "Those I met at school weren't very... friendly."

"What do you mean ?" Karen asked, frowning.

"Well they completely ignored me. But I only saw three of them this morning and then I avoided going back to the teacher's lounge."

"Do you know them ?"

"No, I've never even met them. That's why, I have no idea why – "

"Maybe they're jealous.", Brooke said quietly.

Lucas and his mother turned to her at the same time, encouraging her to keep talking.

"I mean... You're not _really_ a teacher, right ? You may have studied litterature in college, you don't have an official degree that gives you the right to teach in a high school, so I think they're angry that you were hired here, when you're actually a writer."

"It makes sense," Karen said, deep in thoughts, "they must think this is unfair."

"So what am I supposed to do ? Lay low for the next four months ?" he asked them in dismay.

Karen had visibly no solution for him, and neither did Brooke; this time, pushing someone from their chair would not be of any help.

 **Nathan Scott**

Walking down the street with four of his friends, Nathan was going towards Karen's café. He had parked his car a few streets away from it, unable to find a nearer spot.

Usually he didn't go to the café this late, but the coach had held them back longer than expected and had lectured them after their disastrous first season. He had also promised them to be merciless for the weeks to come, and according to him they were going to weep buckets after every training session. Tim had asked what size these buckets would be, to which Whitey barked at him to run ten times around the court.

When they were finally free to go, Nathan decided to still go to the café to take Brooke home. She usually went home on her own, stating that there was nothing to fear in Tree Hill.

But even if they were in Tree Hill, a girl who looked like Brooke, walking home on her own and through every back alley there was to get home sooner, gone 8pm, wasn't entirely safe. He had once offered her a tiny tear gas, to which she had laughed and said she would probably end up hurting herself when trying to use it.

She was so headstrong, that most of time he wouldn't insist on accompanying her back home, but seeing how it was already so late, he figured she would give in tonight.

A few meters before the entrance of the café, he slowed down, making out two familiar figures coming out in the dark. From a distance, he could see Brooke getting in a man's car, an expensive german car that hinted to its' owner relative wealth.

"Is that Brooke ?" Tim asked, looking behind him to see that Nathan had frozen a few steps behind them.

He kept watching the car until it started and drove away in the darkness.

"Who was with her ?"

"No one." Nathan said coldly, turning around to get back to his own car.

"Wait a minute," said one of his team-mates, "that was the new teacher, the lit – "

"I'm telling you, it's no one !" he yelled at them, clenching his fists, "I'm going home."

His friends were smart enough not to follow him.

So many thoughts were running through his mind, but they were all pointing in the same direction : Brooke had sympathised with Lucas, enough to accept that he dropped her off, when he had to move heaven and earth to convince her.

Right before he reached his car, he crashed head down into a girl. She lost her balance and fell on the ground ; it took him a few seconds to snap out of it and immediately held out his hand to help her. She refused to look up at him though, surely embarassed, and apologized profusely before running away at lightening speed.

He was about to get in his car, when something shiny on the ground caught his floor; he crouched down and picked up the object, bringing it to the street light. It was a silver charm bracelet, shaped in musical notes. It must have been hers... He turned around swiftly, looking for her, but she was already gone. Letting out a sigh, he put it in his pocket and got in his car.

The image of Brooke and Lucas together flashed again through his mind, making his blood boil. He started the engine and drove back home, resolved not to let him approach Brooke anymore.

* * *

That's it for chapter two !

Thank you so very much for your reviews, it's like fuel for when I'm translating my chapters ! I hope you've enjoyed this one, next chapter should be uploaded in about 5-7 days !

Juste un petit mot en français pour ceux/celles qui m'ont laissé un commentaire, merci merci merci, ça fait super plaisir de voir que certaines personnes se souviennent de cette histoire que j'ai pourtant commencé il y a deux ou trois ans ! Pour ceux que ça intéresse, étant donné que j'ai retrouvé ma motivation et surtout du temps pour écrire, je vais reposter mes autres histoires en français à partir de la semaine prochaine.

PS Un grand merci à Manon, si je me souviens bien tu m'as laissé beaucoup de commentaires sur mes anciennes histoires et ça m'a fait vraiment plaisir de voir ton nom à nouveau :)


	3. Writer's block

**WRITER'S BLOCK**

 **Peyton Sawyer**

"I need more dish soap." Peyton said, her hands already plunged into the sink.

Brooke put away her dish towel, grabbed the bottle of soap and squeezed it generously above the sink. Peyton mixed it in the warm water, took a hand full of foam out of it and blew it on her friend's face, making her sneeze.

"You're in a very good mood tonight !" she cried, taking back her towel to wipe the cutlery.

"And you've been moping all dinner."

Brooke murmured with a shrug, "You're the one who'll talk to Julian tomorrow."

Peyton sighed, looking down at her hands. Unlike Brooke, she had decided not to become paranoid and kept telling herself he wasn't that bad.

When she had met him last monday, he hadn't said a word about that favor he needed from her. He had simply asked her to meet him on thursday afternoon, at the end of their day. Of course she had agreed, but only after making him swear he wouldn't utter a word about Brooke and Nathan.

Brooke had imagined a whole bunch of different scenarios, each one more unbelievable than the previous one, about this favor he was about to ask; the latest being that Julian wanted to make a video of her, pole dancing in her underwear, that he would post on a fetichist website of his making.

Peyton, on the other hand, didn't think he was like that; she didn't really know him, and she had never talked to him before, but he didn't come off as a pervert to her. But then again, she didn't know him at all...

"We'll see what he asks for."

"If things get complicated – "

"I'll call you right away," Peyton interrupted her. "But don't worry too much, I don't think I'll need your help."

"You never know..."

"Hey Davis," she said with a sigh, "you better not feel guilty about this, alright ? It's not your fault if I have to... do whatever it is he wants me to."

"Yeah, sure."

Brooke was obviously worried sick, though, and probably felt responsible for whatever was happening to them. Strictly speaking, she was partly responsible, but Peyton hadn't had a gun to her head when she agreed to help Julian. She could have walked away from all this and Brooke would not have minded. Well, maybe a little bit, but she would have quickly forgiven her.

"Need any help ?"

They both turned around at the same time; Ted, Brooke's father, was standing in the dorway, looking completely serene.

"Thanks Ted," Peyton said with a smile, " but I think we can handle this."

"Yeah, just go back to your... numbers." Brooke added mockingly.

"If I didn't take care of them," he said dramatically, "who would ?"

"No one. And no one would miss them. I'm pretty sure even your boss has no idea what they mean."

Peyton held back a laugh; she was always amused by Brooke and Ted's bickering.

"You're propably right, but if I didn't do my job, my dear boss' bank would crumble in the next hour. But don't tell him I said that !" he said with a wink.

Brooke rolled her eyes, pretending to be irritated, when the phone started ringing and Ted went to the liviing room to pick it up.

"Oh, no." Brooke whispered, her irritation suddenly becoming very real.

"You think it's _her_?" she asked with a frown.

"I don't know who else it could be, at this time."

Brooke's mother was indeed as regular as a clockwork : she called her family every wednesday evening, always at the same time, right after their dinner. This one phone call a week could put Brooke in a bad mood for the rest of the night.

"When was the last time she came home ?"

Her friend shrugged, seemingly detached from all this : "Who knows ? I stopped counting a long time ago."

Peyton knew that it it weren't for the pictures they had on the chimney and the walls, she wouldn't remember Victoria's face. However she had heard a lot about her, from Brooke and her dad; their respective versions were quite different. Brooke described her as a bitter woman, cold and distant, when Ted tended to say that behind her iron lady's attitude, Victoria hid a heart of gold.

Even if she herself had an absentee parent, she couldn't relate to Brooke's situation : yes, her father only came home once a year, but when he was there, he spent all his time with her. And whenever he could, he would send her letters and call her as often as possible, and did everything he could to compensate for his absence.

"Brooke ?" Ted called, walking back into the kitchen, "It's your mom."

He held out the phone to her, but Brooke didn't even bother to turn around and face him. She kept wiping the plates Peyton had just washed, almost dropping one in the process.

Ted didn't lose his patience, and with a quiet voice, called out again : "Brooke please." She shook her head, refusing to speak. "It's been a month already, you'll have to talk someday. Just say hi to her."

She straightened her back, put down whatever she had in her hands and walked towards her father. He looked up at her, a smile spreading on his lips, while Peyton knew he shouldn't get his hopes up; there was no way she would give in and just talk to Victoria.

Peyton was right this time, Brooke simply wanted to get out of the kitchen and go to her bedroom for refuge.

Ted's smile slowly faded away as his daughter went past him, her head down, and ran to the stairs. He sighed, and put back the phone to his ear : "She's not feeling very well. Sure, next week. Good night."

He hung up, putting down the phone on the kitchen table, and looked up at Peyton.

"I don't like lying to her." he whispered sadly.

She knew that already; Peyton had had eleven years to get to know him and she knew that if there was one thing that mattered the most to him, it was honesty. Which was why Brooke, even being so close to her father, had never told him about the true nature of her relationship with Nathan. Well, that, and the fact that for some reason Nathan had insisted a lot so that they wouldn't tell Ted.

Peyton trusted Nathan, but she knew he hadn't told them the whole truth. Brooke had never noticed him in their first year, but Peyton had, and she remembered perfectly seeing him with a different girl every week. Then all of a sudden he had stopped fooling around in their second year, and seemed bothered by his suitors. She knew something had happened that had made him change his mind, but to this day she still didn't know what it was.

"I'll try to talk to her." she told him, just to comfort him.

He thanked her with a smile, though both of them knew perfectly well that no matter how hard she tried, she was not making Brooke her change her mind.

 **Lucas Scott**

Lucas turned up the sound of his music and pushed his earphones in.

He was probably correcting his fiftieth paper, he had stopped counting an hour ago. He was not grading them, but he really wanted to read them thoroughly and give them the attention they needed. Even if that meant spending his whole night reading those.

For now, he had read very heterogeneous works in the five classes he had, which was not surprising at all considering what their former teacher had said of them.

He finally reached the pile of papers belonging to the first lesson he had given, two days before. The first essays he read were quite interesting, well developped, even if he saw several mistakes here and there... And then he got to a paper that, to its owner's credit, managed to unsettle him, to say the least.

He had to admitt that Brooke had surprised him every time they had met. He hadn't expected her to excel in litterature, especially after she had told him she didn't like reading, but ….

Her paper was blank. She had simply written her name, and stopped there. Lack of inspiration ? He doubted that, even if it had been the case she could have written a line or two...

Now that he thought about it, she had seemed in a hurry to get out of his classroom. Maybe she had feared his reaction and didn't want him to ask questions.

He sighed, took his pen and scribbled a comment next to her name.

When he put back the paper in the rest of the pile, his phone started vibrating for the fourth time in the night; it was the same person calling him and once again, he ingnored the call. Lindsay could harass him all she wanted, he was not about to write again any time soon. Every time he tried to get back to it, he erased every sentence he could write. He did have ideas in mind, but none of them seemed significant enough.

The next paper he corrected surprised him too, but in a much more positive way. It wasn't very long, but went straight to its goal. When he finished reading it, he looked at the student's name : Haley James.

James, James... Where had he heard that name ?

He got his answer the next morning, right after his lesson with that very same class. For almost an hour, they had debated over one of the book's characters, after he had divided them in two opposite clans. The debate turned out to be very prolific and Lucas was very satisfied of them.

At the end of their class, he managed to reach Haley before she left and asked her if she had five minutes to talk. Surprised, she agreed and went to his desk , where Brooke was already waiting, a few feet away from them, looking like she was getting beheaded.

"Is it about my paper ?" Haley asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

"Yes, but you don't need to worry, it's really good." he said with a smile, wich seemed to reassure her a bit. "I thought it was quite impressive actually. That's what I wrote on it – "

"I know, but... I figured you wouldn't find it very politically correct."

Well, comparing the corruption in Bel-Ami and the one they were living in was quite surprising, and he wouldn't have gone that way, but it wasn't off topic. And it wasn't every day that a high schooler could brillliantly write such a diatribe.

That's what he told her, or nearly so, and miss James' face slowly brightened.

"Thank you." she said humbly. "But I don't think it was that good."

"Well I think it was," he said with a shrug. "And I wanted you to know that."

"But it wasn't very long..."

"True, but it's exactly why it's very powerful. And believe me, quality and quantity are two very separate notions."

She thanked him again, blushing a bit.

"Oh, one last thing," he said before she left, "are you Quinn James' sister ?"

The smile she had suddenly wore off.

"Well, that is –" he said, "we were in the same year and when I saw your name I thought maybe..."

"Yes, I'm her sister." she interrupted him with a sullen face.

He frowned at her sudden mood change, wondering what he had said to cause it : "I'm sorry, did I say something wrong ? Is she alright ?"

"Yes," she immediately said, in a lighter tone, "she's doing great. She's travelling in Africa right now, taking pictures. Thanks again, sir." she said before leaving.

 **Brooke Davis**

Little James was getting praised while she, on the other side, was patiently waiting to get slaughtered by her new teacher.

Not that Haley James was a small person or even younger than her, but she always gave the impression of being intimidated easily, despite an obvious desire to befriend people. She went unnoticed most of the time; when people saw her, it was when she was answering a question in class or when someone praised her. Which was too bad, really, because she seemed like a nice girl; shy, but nice.

From what she could hear, she had aced that paperwork and deserved to be showered with compliments. Things were definitely not going the same way for Brooke.

On her paper, that she had returned blank not without an ounce of regret (or was it shame ?), he had said he wanted to see her at the end of their class. _"Interesting point of view. Would you mind telling me more about it before leaving ?"_

She could have run away while he was busy with Haley, but she wasn't a coward. And her father had always taught her to take responsibilities; when she had given her blank paper, she knew she would get a scolding at the very least.

She could still find an excuse, with the wild imagination she had. She had been out of ink. The blank page represented the existential emptiness of the main character. That actually sounded plausible, but unfortunately, was not the truth.

When Haley left the room, her legs suddenly turned into jelly but she still managed to walk the distance that separated her from Lucas' desk. Speaking of, they were still in high school, so did she have to call him sir ? Or just Lucas, like he had told her to ?

He stood up from his chair, putting an end to her thoughts : "Are you ok ?"

She inhaled deeply, and looked up at him with bravery; she was taking reponsibility.

"I'm fine, and you ?"

He went to the door, closed it and went back to her. He sat on his desk, facing her : " I'm good, thanks. This won't take long," he said, catching her staring at the now closed door, "I'll let you go after you explain yourself."

"There's nothing to explain..." she murmured.

He sighed, cocked his head to the side and looked at her in silent, like she was an enigma he was trying to solve : "Why didn't you write anything ?"

She briefly closed her eyes, picturing what would happen if she told him the truth. He was gonna get angry. Or worse, he would make fun of her. She could still go for the existential emptiness thing, he might really buy it...

"I just had nothing to say." she said bluntly. Lucas raised an eyebrow, visibly confused by that answer. " I haven't read the book."

His face barely moved, and he just kept staring at her; well, at least the yelling and scolding she had been waiting for were not here yet.

"Because I don't like reading, I told you that already." she added, refusing to look away.

He finally shifted and said : "But you've had it since September."

Brooke didn't get it, he was still confused. Why ? Why wasn't he getting mad at her ?

"I know, but I hate the character."

He looked completely lost now; maybe it was just the calm before the storm ?

"Wait," he finally said, "I don't get it. You know the character, so you did read the book ?"

"No, I just read the first chapters and then I stopped."

"But why ?"

She shrugged, this time looking down at her feet.

"Brooke ?" he called out with a quiet voice, as if trying to tame her, "Look, just forget I'm your teacher ok ? You're talking to your boss's son. Or your boyfriend's brother, whichever you prefer."

She looked at him again, hesitating, and said : " It's just that... He makes me so mad." She blushed, feeling like a fool, "I get that he wants to climb the social ladder as fast as possible, but there's a limit to what he can do, and there are right ways to do it. Duroy is a complete moron, with no moral code, he's just a, a – a don juan who's ready to do everything to succeed. I can handle a lot of things, but not a repulsive character like him. So yes, I know it's dumb, but I don't want to read it and see that in the end, he'll get everything he wanted."

She expected him to mock her, or tell her that it was a very childish reason, but he didn't do so, he simply kept watching her silently. Just like when she had told him his books were awful, he wasn't scolding her, against all odds. He even gave a hint of a smile.

"I get that." he told her, "He's definitely not my favorite character either... Let's do this : I forget about all this _if_ you read it till the end, at least to pass your finals."

He was right, she had to go through it if she wanted to pass. She nodded, which seemed to please him.

"Good" he said, his eyes brightening up, "hey, do you really not like reading ?"

"I think I've told you that at least four times now. Why ?"

"Can you meet me at the library this evening, let's say at 6 pm ? We'll talk then."

"But it will be closed."

He straightened up, tore off a piece of paper and scribbled something down on it.

"I didn't mean the school library," he said, giving her that paper, "here's the adress."

"Alright...", she said, glancing at it before putting it in her pocket. "But do we have to go there to talk about... whatever it is you want to talk about?"

"Patience, my friend." he said with amusement in his voice.

 **Lucas Scott**

Four years after graduating, he still knew the place like the back of his hand. He checked the hour : he still had two hours without any class.

It didn't take him long to decide to go to the gymnasium and meet his former coach, Whitey. He was used to simply calling him Coach. Lucas cared a lot for him, for he was the one who had rooted him out of the river court to bring him in the Ravens. One of the many reasons why he had dedicated his first book, _An unkindness of Ravens,_ to him.

On his way, the conversation he just had with Brooke kept flashing in his mind, making him smile unknowingly. At first, he had thought she just didn't care about the book, but it was just the opposite. She experienced it. Intensely. To the point she loathed the main character. If she truly wasn't interested in it, then she wouldn't care about its characters or story.

In a way, she was passionate about this book, even she couldn't see it... for now. He was definitely going to make her realise. It was his job to do that, right ? As her teacher ?

The thing was, she had confided in Lucas, her boss's son who had just gotten back to town , probably because she didn't want to look stupid to her teacher's eyes. If he tried to awaken her literary curiosity in class, he knew for sure it would just have the opposite effect and she would simply withdraw into herself. He had to convince her in another way, and a solution had crossed his mind when he had heard her talk. If she couldn't speak to her teacher, why not to a friend ? Fine, they knew each other since, what, barely five days, and he couldn't pretend to be her friend, but... He knew they could become friends, and she seemed to know that too. He might as well help her in the process.

He slowed down when he reached Whitey's office and knocked at the door before opening it. His former coach was sitting behind his desk, reading his newspaper, half of a sandwich in front of him, next to a thermos probably filled with coffee.

"I was wondering when you would come by." he said with a hoarse voice, still hidden behind his paper. He put it down on his desk and looked up at him, the tight line that was his lips turning into a bright smile.

Despite the numerous years that had left traces on his face, and despite his eternal surly appearance, he still had a warm and welcoming look every time he smiled. Somehow, Lucas was relieved not to be one his players anymore : Whitey's furious outbursts were the only thing he had not missed during his years out of Tree Hill.

The old man stood up and walked up to him for an embrace. He took a few steps back, looking closely at him, probably to see if he had changed a lot in the last years, then gave him three taps on the shoulder before telling him to sit down.

"I didn't think you would still be here," Lucas said with a smile.

"As you can see, they still haven't managed to get rid of me ! What about you, what are you doing here ? You're a teacher now ?"

He nodded silently, while the coach poured him a cup of coffee.

"They needed a replacement" he said, taking a sip, "and I needed to come back here, so..."

"So your little world tour turned up to be boring, huh ?"

Lucas couldn't help a smile; from the beginning, Karen and Whitey had thought he would come back very quickly from his trip. They had been wrong though, for he had left for almost a year... even if, indeed, he had eventually grown tired of it.

"I'm not surprised..." Whitey told him. " You and I, we're alike, we need stability in our lives."

"Well, as much as it hurts to say it... You are right coach."

"You bet I am !" he cried, slamming his hand on the table. "But I hope you won't end up in my office."

"Don't worry, I'm only here for four months. I'm leaving as soon as I write a decent book."

The coach leaned down on his chair, his eyebrows raised.

"So that's it... You got writer's block."

Lucas nodded again, silently.

"So, did you find your inspiration during your trip ?"

"No," he said with a sigh. "I didn't f anything at all... Don't get me wrong, I met a lot of amazing people, and I needed some rest but... I mean I don't even know what I'm looking for, so how am I supposed to find it !" he said, getting angry at himself.

Whitey stared stonely at him, then from his left hand caught the picture frame that was standing on his desk and showed it to Lucas.

He knew that picture very well, for it had been on the coach's desk for as long as he could remember. It was a picture of his deceased wife, Camilla, whom he had never known; she had died long before he had been in high school, from a chronic disease.

"I was looking for Camilla ?" he said with a frown.

"No," Whitey smiled, visibly amused by his confusion, "Lucas, you need a woman."

Lucas raised an eyebrow full of skepticism, while his coach was nodding at him, apparently convinced that he had found the answer to his unresolved equation.

"Believe me, women are the biggest source of inspiration ever created."

"I don't think it's that simple..."

Whitey burst out such a loud laugh that Lucas almost spilled all of his drink. For safety reasons, he put it down on the desk and looked up at him.

"Who said it was simple ?" he almost yelled at him. "Finding the one for you already takes a lot of time, and I'm not even talking about courting her !"

"Coach, I'm not sure I need a girlfriend to write again..."

"I'm not necessarily talking about a girlfriend, kid."

He had called him kid. When was the last time he had done so ? Oh, right, when Lucas had spilled the beans about his heart condition to him.

"You just need to love someone, and to be loved back."

Maybe with time, he was starting to lose his mind. Or maybe it was Camilla's absence that had become too overwhelming, more than he would admit.

"If you say so, coach." he said with as much enthusiasm as possible, trying not to offend him.

"You don't believe me, huh ?" Whitey asked with an amused tone. "Young people, nowadays... You just don't know anything anymore. And you don't listen either. Just take a look at the bunch of players I have who are supposed to be a basketball team... It's like their all deaf. And blind too, sometimes."

"Are they that bad ?" he asked, to which Withey simply sighed, shaking his head in dismay. "What about Nathan ? He's their captain right ? He should be pretty good."

"Oh he _is_ talented" he smiled. "But he forgets about his team-mates. When I look at him, I remember how it was, when my players knew about team work..."

He gave him a nostalgic look, probably recalling the games hLucase had played with his team. Even after he had discovered his disease, the coach had insisted he should stay on the team. He had even had him go through several medical tests to know for how long he could play without threatening his heart, and had allowed him to play during the championship final they had brilliantly won, in his senior year.

"By the way, coach," he told him, bringing him back to reality, "do you have any advice on how I should behave around the other teachers ?"

When he saw his surprised face, Lucas explained what had happened with his colleagues. Whitey waited until he finished his story, then poured himself another cup of coffee.

"Sounds like a real hassle." he said, thinking about it for a while. "You should just do what you do best."

"Which is ?"

"Just listen to them."

Lucas went out of his office after some more small talk with his former coach. He had come to see him to see how he was doing, but also to get an advice from him; he had received two of them, even if one was very dubious and the other one, beyond understanding.

He had to listen to them ? Whitey was right when saying he was good at shuting up and letting others talk. With years, he had understood that he could easily grasp someone's personality if he just let them say a few words. But what did that have to do with the other teachers who kept ignoring him ?

In order to go back to the main building, he had two possibilities : he could either cross the parking lot to get back to the main entrance, or he could go through the gym, which was definitely the shortest way to go. So, of course he chose his second option, unknowing that he would very soon regret it.

When he heard footsteps echoing on the walls of the main court, he realised with surprise that it wasn't empty, even if it was lunch time. And after a few steps, he quickly recognised the one who was desperately trying to properly shoot hoops.

Nathan noticed him too, but immediately turned away from him and stared at the basketball net as if it was the most important thing in his life. He surely wanted to stay focused, and Lucas couldn't really blame him for that.

He could have hurried to get out of there and leave his brother be, but for some reason he stayed a little longer near the bleachers. Curiosity, most likely. He hadn't seen his brother play in a very long time, and according to Karen, Nathan was nearly as talented as him.

He wasn't naive, though, he knew she said that not to offend him. He had seen him play when he was in middle school, and even then, Nathan had been far better than him at the same age. But he wasn't really bothered by it; of course, he did feel a bit of jalousy, but he had realised a long time ago that there was always going to be someone better than him and he couldn't do anything about it, except from accepting it and train harder.

He watched Nathan run around the court several times, surely to warm up his muscles before placing himself to try new shoots. Out of five shoots, he didn't score a single one. Lucas winced a little, wondering what was wrong in his game. In the middle of his analysis, Nathan picked up the ball that had once again missed its target, and sent it flying against the nearest wall, letting out a scream full of frustration.

Lucas took a few steps towards him, "You should –" he stopped as soon as he saw the death stare he received. "You should bend your knees more," he eventually said with the friendliest smile he had, "your center of gravity will be steadier."

Nathan furrowed his brow and was about to say something but closed his mouth at the last moment and stared at the net for a while. Then he turned to him again, his stare colder than ever.

"I don't need advice from a sick man who can't play anymore."

Lucas took a step back, thrown off by his words; he had expected him to tell him to get out of there, or to even insult him, but not that. It was worse than everything he had expected from him, and it was worse than everything Nathan had already told him in their youth.

He didn't know where all this hatred came from, and he couldn't care less about it. Everything Nathan could have told him was pure childishness, he was just a kid not mature enough to realise the weight of his words. He, on the other hand, was a fully grown adult now, and as such shouldn't take everything Nathan could tell him seriously.

That was what he had been thinking since he had come back, and he had promised himself not to lose his temper with Nathan.

But he had not expected that.

 **Nathan Scott**

"No !" he cried angrily for the third time already, "get the hell out of here, now !"

Lucas refused to budge and lifted his chin, as if looking down at him.

"This court doesn't belong to you."

"And it does to you ?" he said back blankly.

"I asked to you to apologize." Lucas repeated once again, his eyes looking darker by the second.

Like Lucas could scare him at all. There had been a time when he could, yes, but even then Nathan had never thought twice about confronting him, thanks to his natural resilience.

But things had changed and he wasn't the little kid he used to be, they were now on an equal footing, physically speaking.

He had undoubtedly matured a lot dunring his growth, for there was a time when he would have already jumped at Lucas' neck ten minutes ago.

"Why should I ?" he said, picking up his ball. "I just stated the truth."

He didn't regret his words. He really didn't.

Well, maybe he had gone a bit too far. He had just been fed up with his nagging... He didn't need his advice to get better.

"How old are you already ? Twelve ?" Lucas asked with a fixed grin. "Seriously, it's like you regress every time we meet."

"You only say that because I'm right !" he said loudly, walking up to him.

"Of course you're right !" he yelled, making him jump. "Yes I'm sick, so what ?! You think that's a good enough reason to rub it in my face with so much arrogance ? You think I like advising you when I can't play anymore ?! I don't, alright, and it really pisses me off ! Pisses me even more when idiots like you use it to get to me !"

His monologue seemingly finished, he was completely out of breath, his face crimson. Nathan thought he was over but was wrong.

"Honestly I hoped so much you had changed over these five years... But the more I see you, the more you act like Dan."

An eye for an eye, huh ? He hit his weak spot, and Lucas did the same.

Furious, Nathan stepped forward to tell him he had no idea what he was talking about since he had never really known Dan, but Lucas walked out before he could utter a single word.

He could have been satisfied with that, seeing him run away from their fight, but he knew Lucas wasn't walking away from this out of fear. It was out of something he had been lacking a lot since his half-brother had come home : wisdom.

So instead of attacking Lucas, he let out his anger through a kick to his poor basketball that had already suffered a lot today.

Clearly, he was not going to get any better after their quarrel, so he went to the showers, dressed, and put away the balls he had used.

Walking down the main hall, he kept thinking of what Lucas had said about their father; he knew he was wrong, Lucas was just spouting nonsense, but... He still felt like part of it was true. It was like Dan to hurt someone through their sickness.

But then, he hadn't thought Lucas would take take it so wrong. It's been so long, he should have gotten used to it, right ?

Nathan remembered the night Dan had had his heart attack, like it was yesterday. He had just gotten into a fight with Deb and had suddenly collapsed in front of them. Deb had burst into tears, cursing herself, stating that she had killed him, but thankfully Nathan had been reactive enough to call 911. In the end, Deb had not killed her husband, and Dan was diagnosed with a heart condition whose name he couldn't remember. His children had a 50% chance to inherit it.

Lucas and he had been tested and quickly got their results : Lucas received the positive test.

They had got the news when he had been in his senior year, right in the middle of the championship. And even if he hadn't openly admitted it, Nathan had been truly sorry for his half-brother. He had also, with a lot of shame, felt a lot of relieve when seeing his results. If he had been the one with the condition, he had no idea what he would have become...

He frowned, and tried to think about something else; he didn't want to feel guilty about that now...

It was already 1pm, but the corridors were still empty of people, all the students were probably packed in the cafeteria, where the numerous electric heaters could keep them warm. He went to the nearest vending machine, picked one of the rare sandwiches left, put in his coins and bent down to get his food. When he got up, he frowned, hearing something, and looked around him but didn't see anyone.

He focused on the sound and figured that something – no, someone was emitting it. After a few seconds, he realised it wasn't just some noise...

It was a soft singing, melodious, and so delicate, barely audible, that he felt a lump in his throat. He turned his head to the left, then to the right, trying to guess where the voice was coming from, and strode off to its possible source. The closer he was getting to it, the clearer he could hear it, urging him on reaching it.

The singing suddenly stopped. He loooked around him, but all the rooms close to him were empty.

"Damn." he breathed out.

Another topic of frustration to add to his already very long list.

He decided to go to the cafeteria and meet up with his friends. As he went in, he quickly noticed Brooke and Peyton, and went to them.

"Great," said Brooke when he sat opposite her, "I wanted to tell you something."

She sounded very nervous, for some reason. "What ?" he said, surprised by his own abrupt tone.

"Wow, what's up with the foul mood ?" Peyton said, visibly annoyed.

Well it wasn't his fault if Lucas had set his sights on Brooke.

Now that he thought about it, maybe that was why he reacted so badly with Lucas ?

He had seen them together, coming out of the Café, and had concluded that they had bonded. At that moment, he had felt so angry at them. He had nonetheless kept quiet about it to Brooke, waiting to see how things would go, but had not noticed anything in the next days, and had decided to forget about it.

Maybe he hadn't completely forgotten about it, unconsciously.

"I just want to talk about Lucas and you." Brooke told him, "Maybe you two should..."

"Maybe you should mind your own buisiness ?" he interrupted her.

She frowned a bit, visibly surprised, but kept talking : " I just want to help you."

"Well I don't need it, thanks."

Now she looked pissed too. Before she could say anything back, and before Peyton could tell him to watch his tone, Nathan decided to get things straight.

"Can I ask you a favor ?" he said with a soft voice.

"What ?" Brooke said, taken aback by his sudden change.

"Don't get close to Lucas, please. I mean, not more than necessary."

Brooke's eyes widened slightly, while Peyton turned to him with a glower.

"You seriously think you can command her ?"

"It's not an order." he said, his eyes not leaving Brooke, "you know as well as I do that Brooke would never let me command her to do anything and even if I did, she would just end up doing the opposite. I'm asking you, as a friend."

"But why ?" Brooke asked, confused.

"Because I don't like him. I hate that he's back in town, I hate that he's in our school, I hate that you're his students. So I'm asking you, can you not befriend him ? You don't have to say yes, but... But if you care about me, then please do it." He gave an embarrassed look to Peyton before saying, "It hurts to see you together."

He managed to startle them both; even Peyton softened at his words. He himself was surprised by his words, even if he had meant each one of them. It did hurt him to see them together, and not only because he felt like Lucas wanted to be close to her... It wasn't just that. He cared about Brooke, truly, almost as if she was his sister. He would have his heart torn if _she_ came to like Lucas.

"When did you see us together ?" Brooke asked, thoughtful.

"Monday evening, on my way to the Café."

She lowered her eyes, as if the answers to the questions she seemed to be asking herself were written on the table, then looked up at him. And while Peyton was still staring at him in stupefaction, Brooke eventually whispered a quiet "okay".

 **Peyton Sawyer**

She had been waiting for fifteen good minutes already, right where Julian had asked her to meet him. She had thought he would be on time, well she apparently was very wrong about him.

Her arms crossed against her chest, her eyes darkened with every minute that was passing by. She waited another ten minutes before Julian deigned to show up.

"Sorry, I came here as fast as I could," he said with an apologetic smile, "Shall we ?"

She didn't really know where they were going, but nodded anyway and followed him, a drip of sweat running down her back. Her concern grew with every step she took.

"We're here." he said, pushing open the swing doors in front of them.

Peyton looked at the sign on the door, that said "THEATRE". She came in before him, and they both went down the stairs until they were in front of a stage. On the first row of seats were carefully placed cameras and other stuff used to film.

She started panicking, wondering if Brooke had been right about the fetichist website and looked around her nervously, trying to see if any lingerie he would ask her to wear was lingering around.

Julian turned to the stage and said with a loud voice, "Guys, can you come out here a second ?"

A small group of people came from the wings to the center of the stage, and smiled when they saw her.

"What the – you brought an audience too ?!" she said with disgust.

"What ?" said Julian with a lost look on his face. "What are you talking about ?"

Brooke had probably been wrong after all, "I don't know. Why are we here ?"

"This is why I brought you here," he said with a hand gesture, showing all of his comrades on stage. "I'm making a movie."

She almost laughed, but held it back right on time when she saw of serious they all looked. It wasn't a joke at all.

"A – a movie ?" said Peyton with a frown.

"It sounds stupid, right ?" said one of the girls on stage. "I told you so, Julian."

Peyton swiftly turned to her when she recognised her voice.

"Rachel ? What are you doing here ?"

"I'm part of the theatre club." she said, sitting down on the edge of the stage.

"I didn't even know there was a club," she admitted.

"Movie and theatre," Julian corrected with a smile. "No one – well, _almost_ no one knows about it, and it's been going for years. So this year, we're making our own movie and we'll project it on graduation day, so that everyone finally knows about our club."

Peyton raised her eyebrows; she had definitely not expected that... But why did he need her ?

"And how can I help you ?"

"We heard you know your music very well.", one of the group members said.

She looked at Julian, who nodded and said, "It's exactly what we're looking for. A good movie has good music, music that corresponds to the scenes. I thought you could help us with that."

"But how do you even know I could help you ?"

"I asked to the librarian who was the student who checked out the most music albums in the last four years." he said with a proud expression, "You come first, hands down."

That was it ? He just wanted her help with a few music tracks ? And then he would leave Brooke and her be ?

"Alright, I'll help you," she said with a smile. "But not a single word about..."

" I won't say a word, I swear," he said, holding up his right hand solemnly.

 **Lucas Scott**

"You think she won't come ?"

Lucas lifted up his head to Jaz, who was looking down at him from his small platform. The old man had not changed a bit in his absence; he still looked sickly pale from staying in his library, his beard grown wild, and his insatiable curiosity had apparently only worsened in the last years. But despite all that, Lucas liked him a lot; his library had been his shelter many times when he had been a teenager, and Jaz had always allowed him to stay past the closing time, as long as Karen knew about it.

"I don't know," he sighed, watching the entrance door.

"It's alright," he said with a compassionate smile, "there'll be other girls."

"Wha – No ! This is not a date, Jaz, she's one of my students !"

He got up from his chair and checked the clock, she was twenty minutes late; since apparently she was not coming, he might as well go home to try to start writing, even if he wouldn't write a single line.

He stopped when he heard the doorbell ring; straight after, Brooke was barging in. She leaned forward, hands on her knees, catching her breath. Then she looked up at him, and gave him a crooked smile.

"Sorry, I'm late."

He smiled back at her, "It's okay."

"No, I'm really sorry..." she murmured, shaking her head.

He frowned, noticing she was slightly shaking : "Are you alright ?"

"Yes." she said, obviously forcing a smile.

He didn't say anything though, not wanting her to get her back up.

"So... where are we ?" she asked in an undertone. Her eyes shifted around them with a worried look in them.

"I know, the lightening isn't great." he admitted with a little laugh. "But we're really in a library. And this is Jaz, the owner."

"Oh," she said with a polite smile, "nice to meet you."

"Pleasure's mine," Jaz said with a grin, before turning to him and saying : "a student, huh ?"

Lucas rolled his eyes, and saw that Brooke thankfully didn't understand what that was about : "Don't worry, he's a bit delirious. Follow me."

" There's not a lot of place." Brooke murmured, looking around her as she was walking behind him.

Well, he couldn't argue with that. The library was shaped as a very long rectangle, and Jaz had made the mistake of filling each side with tall book shelves that only increased the impression of the room narrowing down on them. Any claustrophobic person would have a panic attack in there. Jaz had not invested in a lot of lamps either, and they were plunged in a half-light that was definitely not good for their sights.

There was one part of the room that was free of books, with a small round table and two lamps. Lucas put his backpack on it and was quickly imitated by Brooke.

"I never noticed this place." Brooke admitted as she sat down.

He smiled, "No one does."

"And it smells weird.", she added, wrinkling her nose.

"That's the smell of good old books."

She looked around them and noticed with surprise that their table was surronded by piles of books scattered on the floor. She looked back at him, clearly waiting for an explanation.

"I heard you this morning, but I just think that... I don't think you don't like reading, I think you don't read the right books. At least, not the ones you could enjoy. So..."

He opened his bag and took a sheet of paper and a pen out of it.

"So, I suggest we make a list of novels." he said giving her the paper, "you don't have to read them all, or even one of them, it's up to you.. I'm not asking that as a teacher, so don't think of this as supplementary homework..."

She looked up at him, reminding him of a lost puppy.

"But why are you doing this ?"

"Because you've got potential," he said with a shrug, "and it would be a shame to waste it."

She lowered her head once again; unfortunately, with the dim light around them, he couldn't read her face at all.

"You don't have to accept this, you know. I won't mind if - "

Her head shot up instantly, "No !" He could see she was simply blushing : " I don't usually get complimented like that." She added, clearly sounding troubled, "I mean, except from my dad, but that doesn't count, he could just say anything to please me."

"Like my mom, then." he said with an amused smile. "How about we meet here twice a week, the evenings when you don't work at the Café, and then we can talk about what you're reading. I just – I just want to awaken your interest." And when she kept silent, he added : "But we can also meet once a week, if that's easier for you."

She bit her botton lip and seemed to hesitate a lot, but still told him : "Two nights will be fine."

"Really ?"

She smiled back at him, nodding her head.

Lucas reached home an hour later. He had talked with her for a long time, in order to establish a list of books that could please her. Well, she had mainly talked about herself and he had carefully listened to her, a wide grin stuck on his face.

When he entered the kitchen, his mother had already cooked dinner, and even if the smell coming from the oven was very seducing, he told her he wasn't hungry.

"Are you sick ?" she asked him, pressing a hand on his forehand.

"No mom" he said with a laugh, "I'm actually feeling really good."

He gave her a bright smile before locking himself in his room, throwing his bag on the bed and sitting down at his desk to start writing as soon as possible. Words were rushing in his head in a non stop flow. He didn't why or how, but one thing was clear, his inspiration was back.

* * *

Next chapter will be up by the end of the week ! If you're interested in it, you can find the song from the title here : /16fBF3Bgd3M

Thank you so much for the reviews and the PMs, you guys are simply adorable :D


	4. Heartbeats

**HEARTBEATS**

 **Nathan Scott**

Nathan rushed out of his car, almost forgetting to lock its doors. Once he had made sure no one could steal it, he ran through the parking lot to the school's main entrance.

It wasn't his first time being late for class, but this morning, he had history class with Mr. Slater. And if there was one reason why he was known by the majority of students in his school, it was for his hatred of late students. The old man went like clockwork, starting his lessons at the same time everyday and finishing them exactly fifty minutes later.

Which was why Nathan was hastily running down the corridors, especially since he had no real excuse to give : he had simply turned off his alarm clock, meaning to get up in the next two minutes, and had ended up falling asleep unwittingly, only to wake up half an hour later. And that was why he was already twenty minutes late.

At a corner, however, he slowed down and even stopped walking, dumbstruck by what he could hear. He was hearing the voice again.

It had been more than a week since he had last heard it, and he had even thought that maybe he had simply been imagining things, too tired from his training.

This time, though, he wasn't tired at all. He was aware of what was going on around him, and he could still hear the singing. It wasn't exactly the same as a week ago, it was different from that time, more dynamic, though still as attractive to his ears.

Nathan didn't hesitate for long : he might as well add a few minutes to his lateness since he was getting a roasting anyway.

He turned around, swiftly heading towards the source of the voice before it could disappear like the other day. With every step, he could feel his excitement go up a notch.

Then, after less than a minute, he could hear it as loudly as if he were in the same room. He knew he was getting closer, and thus started spying in the rooms around him, until he finally saw her.

She was carrying big folders in her arms, putting them away on the shelves they belonged to as she was walking down the room, singing all the while, her head swinging from side to side.

He looked at the door's sign, revealing the room to be the tutoring center. He glanced at at the girl again, hypnotised by her demeanor. Despite a vague feeling of déjà-vu, he knew nothing of her for the moment, except for one thing : she was the most radiant girl he had ever seen.

 **Brooke Davis**

She looked up from her paper once again to check on the classroom's clock. Thirty-two, it said. Thrity-two minutes late, what was Nathan doing ?

He had never been famous for his punctuality, but he was never _this_ late either ... Especially not with Mr. Slater. He knew how their teacher was, everyone did. So what could he be doing to be this late ?

She got a bit of relief a few minutes later, when Nathan barged into their classroom, out of breath. A bit only, since their teacher furiously yelled at him for five good minutes, and for another five minutes when Nathan said he had simply overslept. Seriously, that was the best excuse he could come up with ? Oversleeping ? He might as well directly ask him for detention, it would have saved them both time.

He did get two hours of detention, as predicted, but didn't seem to care at all. Without any complaint, he accepted his punishment and scanned the room to find her and come sit on her right.

"Where were you ?" she whispered to him, once she had made sure Mr Slater wasn't watching them.

"Nowhere. I just missed my alarm." he said on the same tone.

She turned to him, screwing up her eyes. He had texted her at 10 past 8 to tell her he had just left his house and that he would be very late. It took him ten minutes to drive to school. Fifteen, at the utmost. Which left him with ten minutes he had spent doing nothing in school ?

"You mean you just got here ?"

"Yeah, that's right."

That was when she noticed the wide grin that seemed stuck on his face; she thought for a second to tell him that it made him look like an idiot. She decided not to, though, and didn't try to know where he had really gone. Clearly, Nathan was lying to her, but what good would it do to insist and try to get the truth from him, except maybe crumbling his excellent mood. Which would have been one monumental mistake, since he had spent the last week with a gloomy face that could depress pretty much anyone.

And she wasn't really in a good place to blame him for hiding things from her, since she had her own little white lies. It had been a week since she had started meeting Lucas in that remote city library. She had only seen him twice, last monday and the night before.

At first, she had not understood why he seemed to care so much about her coming there. When he had told her she had potential, she had thought it was just a bad joke. But he had sounded so sincere, that she had not been able to turn him down. From that moment, she had started feeling guilty towards Nathan for meeting his brother out of school, when she had promised him to do just the oppposite a few hours before. She was trying not to think too much about it, convincing herself that there was no way that Nathan would know about their meetings. It wasn't like Lucas was going to tell his half-brother everything. Plus, their meeting point was so isolated and unnoticed that she knew no one would spot them together.

She had loved these two evenings spent with him. She loved talking to him, and she loved the fact that he was taking her seriously. Her other teachers usually thought of her as a scatterbrain who didn't deserve much attention, but Lucas was different. He was truly listening to her, as if what she was saying was actually interesting. That was probably why she couldn't see him as her teacher during their meetings.

Brooke had finished reading Lucas' first book a few days before. She had devoured its last chapters, like she had with the rest of the book. She had even teared up a little, especially at the parts where he talked about his disease. Although he hadn't written those in a pathetic way, she had still, somehow, sympathized with his situation and had wished he hadn't had to go through all that. Karen rarely talked about her son's condition, and it was actually Nathan who had brought up the subject first, when he had told her his father had had a heart attack once. It had been one of the few times, not to say the only time, when he had managed to talk about Lucas without much bitterness in his voice.

At lunch, she sat with her cheerleaders around one of the biggest tables of the cafeteria, which had been theirs, unofficialy, for as long as she could remember.

"Oh," Peyton, sitting next to her, told her. "I can't drop you off at the Café tonight, I have to stay for a rehearsal."

"Ah," she replied, "it's alright, I'll walk to it. But do you really have to assist to every single one of this, hum... troupe's rehearsals ?"

"Movie and theatre club," she corrected. "And yeah, I have to, it was part of his conditions."

"But it's not like he really needs you, right ? You're just wasting your time there..." she murmured with a frown.

"Not really, it's only two nights a week, three at the most. And it's kind of nice to see them work together. It's entertaining."

She looked like she really meant all that, but Brooke couldn't help but think that it was surely bothering her, at least a little. Everything would have been much easier if she agreed to tell the truth. The problem was that everytime she thought that Nathan and her wouldn't have to hang out together anymore, it saddened her. Two years ago, she would not have cared at all, but things had changed, and with time, she couldn't get her head around that idea anymore.

Just as she had told her best friend earlier, Brooke walked down to the Café that evening. Her service had been very calm at first, with most of her clients being regular customers, so that she could easily go from the cash register to her waitress' tray.

After about an hour, or maybe more, she hadn't checked the time, being too absorbed in the book she was reading, a young woman whom she had never seen before came in. She sat down at a table close to the bar, and Brooke immediately went to take her order. Pastas, she told her in a distant tone, her eyes riveted on her new generation smartphone. Brooke wrote it down, and brought her her meal a few minutes later. She almost immediately got called back, the dish not being hot enough.

It had just been cooked, Brooke couldn't see how anyone could complain about that. But as Karen said numerous times, the customer was always right, so Brooke obediently went back to the kitchen and put the plate in the microwave.

"What's wrong ?" Karen asked in surprise.

"It's too cold for madame's taste." she said in a sour voice.

She took back a burning hot plate to her client, who after a mouthful looked satisfied. So satisfied, that she actually stopped staring at her phone, looked up at her and gave her a surprisingly warm smile.

Brooke managed to keep in her surprise, her resentment disappearing in an instant.

"Thanks a lot," her client added. "I'm a little bossy sometimes, but I really tend to eat my meals very hot."

"It's alright," Brooke said with a bright smile. "What brings you Tree Hill ?"

"Is it that obvious that I'm not from here ?"

Her Dior suit had given her away from her very first step in the Café, but Brooke tried not to offend her about it.

"Kind of, yes." she simply said.

"Well, I'm here to see a man."

Brooke raised her eyebrows in marvel, and sat straight after with her.

"So you're here for love then !"

"I wouldn't call it that yet," she said with a laugh, "but it might be someday, who knows ?"

"Well I wish you good luck then." she said with an envious eye.

"What about you ? You look quite happy yourself... Is it love too ?"

Brooke hesitated, before realising she would probably never see that woman again and thus didn't have to lie to her."No," she said with a sigh. "Not yet, at least."

The woman winked at her,"It shouldn't be long until you find it then."

Brooke's smile widened ; in the end, she had been very wrong about her.

The doorbell rang again, prompting her to welcome her new client. However Brooke didn't get up from her chair when she saw who was coming in; she simply waved at him, and Lucas walked towards her, smiling at her.

The client she had been talking to gave her a curious look and turned around to see who she was waving at, before letting out a gasp.

" Lucas !" she cried with a smile.

He raised his eyebrows, looking more surprised than her to meet her.

" Linds ?" he said when he reached their table. "What are you doing here ?"

He sat down next to "Linds", which Brooke figured stood for Lindsay, leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek but got once again caught by surprised when she grabbed him by the collar and crashed her lips onto his.

Brooke knew he was surprised, for his look suddenly widened, as if she was doing something completely unexpexted. She didn't know how he reacted right after that, since she prefered to look down at her knees, a little embarrassed.

 **Lucas Scott**

"I came to see you, of course." she stated as if it was obvious.

He frowned, his confusion not fading out at all.

When he had told her, two days ago, that he had started writing a new book, and that he had already written tw ochapters, he had heard her jump of joy from his phone. He knew how enthusiastic she was about this... But he hadn't thought for a second that it would make her come all the way down to Tree Hill.

"I'm sorry," he told her, "but I can't show you anything for now. I'd rather have you read it once it's done."

Her smile disappeared slowly, when she realised he was very serious about that.

"Ah !"

They both turned to Brooke, who slowly looked up at him, a slight blush on her cheeks.

"So that's why you had so many notes on your book !" she cried with a smile.

Indeed, last night at the library, while he had been looking for some paper to write on, she had noticed that his usually empty notebook had been filled with sentences and words he had not even crossed out.

"Yes." he said with a light smile. "Whenever I have an idea I write it down, in case I forget about it."

"You could at least tell me what it's about." Lindsay told him.

"I won't." he said, shaking his head. "I don't think I've introduced you. Brooke, this is Lindsay, my editor. And Lindsay, this is Brooke. You may have noticed she works here."

"Nice to meet you," she said cheerfully. "So I guess you two are friends then ?"

Before Brooke could say anything, he took the liberty of answering for her.

"No, no", he said with a smile. "Brooke is just a student."

She looked at him for a moment, trying not to frown, or so he thought, then got up from her chair and gave them a polite smile.

"I'm sorry, I have work to do."

He was about to ask her why she looked upset all of a sudden, but Lindsay interrupted him, asking him once again to show her the first chapters.

"You know you're wasting your time," he sighed. "You can ask as many times as you want, I won't give in."

"Gosh, you can be such a pain sometimes." she told him, pointing at him with the tip of her fork. "Fine, do as you wish. But once it's over, I want to be the first one to read it."

He grinned at her, "Who else could I show it to, apart from my favorite editor ?"

"Oh stop it," she said rolling her eyes, "you'll make me blush."

She put down her fork, apparently satisfied with her small meal and took out a pack of cigarettes from her handbag. She put one in her mouth and looked for her lighter; Lucas grabbed her cigarette, making her look outraged.

"None of that here," he said, knowing how strict his mother was with smoking. "You want to smoke, you leave."

"I was going back to my hotel anyway," she said with a shrug.

She put away her cigarettes and got up to slip on her coat.

"I'll drop you off." he said, standing up himself.

She willingly accepted. On their way, he told her she could stay at his place while she was in Tree Hill. He knew his mother would be completely fine with that, especially since she was out of town the whole weekend. Lindsay politely declined though, stating that she prefered to stay in a hotel room and that she didn't want to bother anyone.

Once in the main hall of her hotel, he walked her to the elevator. Leaning on the wall behind him, right next to the lift doors, he looked around them at the huge room they were in and understood why Lindsay wanted to be here during her stay. Lucas would not call her a materialistic woman, but Lindsay did have a real sophistication that was part of her charm.

He straightened up when he heard the lift bell ring, and its doors opened right after. Lindsay stepped forward but stopped before going all the way in.

"You wanna come with me ?"

Lucas frowned a little, before murmuring with an embarrassed look, "No, thanks."

He had guessed she hadn't come here only to talk about his new book. It was propbably her main reason, but he knew she had something else in mind.

He had sincerely prefered to be wrong on this. It wasn't that he didn't like Lindsay, on the contrary, he cared a lot about her, but... just not the way she wanted him to.

Deep down, he knew he had brought this on himself; he never should have spent that night with her when he had returned to New York. He didn't remember much from that night, his memories way too muddled by alcohol to recall any details of their night out. They had toasted at his return, and again, and again... He had quickly stopped counting the number of drinks they were having, and the next thing he knew, he was lying down on a bed next to her, in his apartment in New York.

He looked up at her to see she had walked to him and was now only a few centimeters from him.

"You know, the more troubled you look, the cuter you get." she whispered with a seductive look.

She leaned a little more, her eyes locked on his lips. He could have let her kiss him, he could have even tried to build something with her, but he didn't want to. He didn't know where it came from, but he had a gut feeling pushing him to step back and hold her by her shoulders to keep her at distance.

"Very well," she sighed, rolling her eyes before stepping back too. "I'll try again once you loosen up."

 **Brooke Davis**

"So our new teacher has a girlfriend ?" Peyton asked, tearing up her meat with a knife.

Brooke shook her head, and waited until her mouth was empty to explain, "No, but she definitely wants to date him."

Again, she thought it was a nice coincidence that she had met Lindsay... She had not expected that Lucas was the one she was referring to. And, she was his editor !

"So, what does she look like ?"

"She's pretty." she said with a shrug. "Really pretty. And she has beautiful eyes too."

"Eyes are important."

Brooke and her friend turned to Ted, who was sitting next to Peyton and had been silently listening to them since the beginning of their dinner, as usual; she looked at him with a quiziccal look.

"It's your mother's eyes that I noticed first," he explained to her with a nostalgic look.

"Oh," she replied, trying not to sound too bitter at the mention of her mother. "But it's not enough to be with someone."

"It can be if your teacher is shallow."

She furrowed her brow, thinking about it for a second, and wondering what kind of girl could be attractive to Lucas.

"No." she eventually said. "Doesn't sound like Lucas at all."

Her father gave her a surprised look, put down his cutlery on the sides of his plate.

"Since when do you call a teacher by his first name ?"

"Oh, well, it's..." she started, confused. "You know since he's Karen's son, it's a little weird to call him Mr Scott when we're talking about him..."

"Everyone's the same, actually," Peyton added, "most of the students call him that way, since he's so young."

Ted nodded with understanding; Brooke gave a knowing smile to her friend, who then winked at her. She had helped her a lot, once again.

Ted didn't know his daughter was meeting her literature teacher after class. She didn't like lying to him, an uneasiness filling her everytime she did, but she sknew that her father would never approve of her meetings, especially with such a young teacher.

"You're working with him tomorrow, right ?" Ted asked her.

"Yup. He'll stay in the kitchen, though."

Karen and Deb were going to Virginia for an entrepeneur seminar for the whole weekend. They had initially planned on closing down the Café during their absence, but Brooke had told her she could handle everything, if she could get someone to help. Karen had thanked her a hundred times before she had left that night, giving her multiple instructions to follow, that she was most probably going to write down before leaving tomorrow morning.

The next morning, Brooke was therfore not surprised to find the Café already open. However, she had not expected Lindsay to be quietly sitting on the bar, her legs crossed and her eyes locked on her phone that apparently meant a lot to her considering the time she seemed to be spending just staring at it.

Brooke greeted her a with a friendly smile before quickly heading to the kitchen to put on her apron. Lucas was here, of course, his back to one of the ovens, his head down on a sheet he was reading with a lot of attention.

"Hi !"

He jumped, and she held back a laugh when he came to peck her on her cheek. He then silently gave her the paper he was reading; from the first words, Brooke knew she had guessed right, Karen had really wrote a lot of instructions down, and had told them what to do... And mostly what not to do.

"Don't let the oven on if it's empty." she read outloud, this time not able to refrain from laughing.

"It's like I'm five years old again," he said on an half-amused, half-annoyed tone. "She was so nervous this morning."

"I bet she was." she said putting the paper down on the countertop in front of them. "She's left me in charge a few times, but she was never far and I could always call Deb for help."

She was hoping not to do anything stupid for the two days to come. She absolutely didn't want to give Karen any reason to worry.

"Actually, she was mostly stressed about me," he said with a smile, "she even said that if I had a problem, I had to see you first."

She felt like he was bending the truth a bit to reassure her, but was fine with that. "Is Lindsay here to help too ?"

"That's what she said, yes," he said, his smile wearing off, "but she's never worked in a café before, so I told her she could stand by the register. Is that alright ?"

"Sure." she replied, not seeing how she could refuse.

At least, that would mean less work for her, right ?

She soon realised she had been very wrong. A few minutes after their first clients had arrived for their usual breakfast, Brooke had served them efficiently. When she had come to check on Lindsay, she realised the register was not her strong point. She was giving either too much or not enough change.

Thankfully, the clients were rather honest and had corrected her almost every time she had been wrong.

Brooke decided to take care of the cash register and gave her a tray. Waitressing was rather simple, was it not ?

Apparently for some people it wasn't, especially when the said people shook like a leaf. After her third broken glass, Brooke put an end to the massacre and asked her to simply sit at the counter and warn her if a client needed anything.

She stayed behind the register, taking advantage of a quiet moment to take out the book she was reading and that she wanted to finish by tuesday.

"It's Lucas' favorite author." Lindsay told her.

Brooke glanced at her, gave her a polite smile, then went back to her reading.

"But I think his favorite book is the Grapes of Wrath."

"Is it ?" Brooke asked in a murmur, not looking away from her page. If she kept ignoring her voice, she might manage to focus on her book...

"He really likes this one too, I think it's the first Steinbeck he ever read."

Brooke closed her eyes and let out a small sigh, then put back her bookmark and looked up at Lindsay, who was apparenly dying to talk to someone.

"Really ?"

She couldn't really blame her for keeping her from her reading, Lindsay was probably bored, waiting for time to pass.

"Yup, he told me one day." she said, rolling her eyes. "And believe me, when he starts talking about books,he just cannot stop."

Brooke chuckled at that; she had indeed noticed that during her last week. They had talked, a lot, and it was obvious books fascinated him. He loved reading, almost as much as he loved to write. He even had a childlike light in his eyes whenever he talked about them, and Brooke had caught herself moved by his words, more than once.

"Don't listen to her."

She turned around to see Lucas standing behind them, looking at his editor with a vexed expression on his face.

"I'm not like that."

"Oh yes you are !" Lindsay insisted with a laugh.

Brooke let out a small laugh too, which seemed to surprise him.

He cocked his head to the side and asked her, "You agree with her ?"

"She is kind of right," she admitted with a smile. "You turn into a real chatterbox when you talk about books."

He eventually grinned at her, walking to her side, "I'll take that as a compliment then." He then looked at Lindsay, "You're not working anymore ?"

"I'm a walking disaster," she said with a pout, "I'll pay you back everything I broke of course."

"You don't have to..."

"Yes I do, otherwise your mother will hate me," she said very seriously. "Hey, I could try working in the kitchen ?"

"I don't want our clients to run away." he said with a chuckle.

Lindsay pretended to be hurt, then repeated her offer.

"You never cook." he stated with amusement.

"I'm a very fast learner."

"Right, like you learned how to easily drop your tray ?"

"Come on, Luke. That way you can go write a little. I'll be ok in the kitchen, you can just go home and write –"

"He's not a writing machine."

Lucas and his editor both turned to Brooke, surprised by what she had just told Lindsay. She even blushed a little, confused as to why she had just said that.

"I, I mean..." she murmured awkwardly. She looked up at Lindsay and said, "I'm sorry, it's none of my business."

Strangely enough, Lindsay looked pleasantly surprised and looked at Lucas before standing up from her chair.

"Don't worry about that, you're right." she told her, taking out a pack of cigarettes from her pocket. "I'm gonna walk a bit, have a look around. See you later."

Brooke gave her an apologetic look and waited until she had crossed the door to turn to Lucas, wanting to dig a hole and hide in it.

"I don't know why I said that."

"You think that was rude of you ?"

She nodded silently, looking up at him. He was gazing at her intently, as if looking for something on her face, and sat next to, a hint of a smile on his lips. "It wasn't. Believe me, you took the words right out of my mouth."

"Oh," she mumbled, looking down at her hands nervously.

She wondered where this nervousness came from; it was like she couldn't understand her own behavior anymore.

"It's just as you said." he said in a grateful tone. "I can't spend all my time writing, I need breaks too. I didn't go on a world tour on a whim."

"Right... I think your mother said you were looking for something."  
"I was. I just didn't know what it was I wanted."

She looked at him again, and noticed he had still not taken his eyes away from her.

"Inspiration ?"

The corner of his mouth twiched, as if he was suppressing a smile, "That was probably it, yeah." He looked at his watch. "Shoot, I should bo back there." he said, standing up. "Thanks again for Lindsay."

As soon as he was out of sight, she felt free to blush as much as she wanted, a strange feeling overcoming her whole body.

It wasn't the first time she was feeling that, it had happened in the previous week too, during their meetings, when Lucas had been sitting a tad too close to her.

It was without doubt attraction she had towards him... But that was it. A simple matter of hormones, right ? Nothing more than that.

 **Nathan Scott**

He knew he had seen her somewhere already. That morning, he had woken up with her face in his mind, rummaging through his memories to try to remember where he had seen her. He knew it was out of school, but where...

It eventually came back to him : the River Court.

Nathan often passed by that old court, every weekend during his weekly jogging. He had never been there before, since it had meen monopolized by his half-brother and his group of friends for a long time. When Lucas had left town, it had remained unoccupied for almost a year, until another group of friends starting hanging out there frequently. They were in his school too, but were not part of the Ravens.

And among that group, was a girl who always sat on the table next to the court, watching her friends play and laughing with them.

If only he had her name...

He suddenly got up from his bed and rushed to his computer. Of course he could get her name ! She was a tutor, so her name had to be somewhere on their shool's website !

Aha !

Haley James. It was her second year as her tutor. He skimmed her introduction text, and when he saw that she had only written some usual formalities, he knew he wouldn't get anything from that. He had to meet her face to face, but what could he give as pretext ?

He thought he would eventually come up with something, ate his breakfast and put on his jogging suit.

He still had nothing when he arrived a few meters from the court.

He usually passed by, sometimes slowed down and watched them play a little. But he had never actually went there to talk to them. And yet that was exactly what he was doing, though he still didn't know what he was going to tell her.

Anyway, even if he changed his mind, his feet didn't seem to repond to him anymore, and werejust heading straight to _her_.

"Hi." he said in a slightly shaking voice. Gosh, he had to pull himself together if he didn't want to look like a complete idiot.

She turned to him, her eyebrows raised. Even her friends stopped playing at once to warily stare at him.

"Can I talk to you for a second ?" he asked her with a shy smile.

She looked at her three friends who had still not moved an inch, waiting to see what was going on. Then she looked at him again and gave him a nod.

Nathan sighed inside, relieved; it was a start.

He sat next to her, saw her friends get back to their game, and turned to her. What the hell was he going to say, now ? He definitely had not thought this through.

"I'm Nathan."

She had a quiet laugh, for a short moment only, and then said to him with a crooked grin, "I know who you are. And I am..."

"Haley." he said for her, "I also know who you are."

She looked caught off-guard by that, furrowed her brow in suspicion. "So what do you want from me ?"

"I..." he said, wondering how he was going to pull this off. "I just wanted..."

"Sorry," she interrupted him in a genuinely apologetic tone, "I'm gonna have to refuse." He surely had an aggrieved face, for she added : "It's not against you, I just don't take seniors." Nathan's confusion only grew bigger. "Because..." she said, looking confused herself, "you need a tutor, right ? That's why you came here ?"

It was a good idea, an excellent one. "Yes, that's why !" he said with probably too much enthusiasm.

"Well I'm sorry, but I only take first or second years."

"That's not a problem ! I'm so bad you won't even see the difference."

She chuckled, still looking bemused, "I think you're underestimating yourself... Well I hope you are."

"I really do need help," he said in a voice full of hope.

She let out a small sigh and looked at her friends, who were fighting over a point.

"Monday morning, 8am." she said without turning to him. "And don't be late."

He fought back his desire to jump for joy, not wanting to appear as a lunatic to her, at least not for now. If she figured out why he had lied to her about needing a tutor, then she would definitely take him for one. He himself didn't fully understand why he was doing this, but he didn't care if he was acting rashly, he couldn't wait to go to school on Monday.

The next day, he kept walking around his house, not knowing how to kill time. After he had invited over some friends for a video game, he called Brooke to know if she was busy. On a sligtly jaded tone she reminded him that she was working at the Café the whole weekend, something she had told him at least a dozen times in the last days. Now that he thought about it, she may have had mentionned it once or twice... And his mother had told him about it too. He apologized for forgetting about it and asked how things were going, who was there to help her.

Shortly after she had admitted with much hesitation that Lucas was there to help her, he was driving to the Café.

He was just a little worried, nothing more. He was going to stop by and make sure that Lucas was not acting over-familiar around her, and would leave right after.

When he came in, Brooke was sitting behind the counter, talking with a young woman he had never seen before.

"Hi," the stranger told him, holding out a hand that he shook. "I'm Lindsay."

He turned to Brooke, confused, wondering if he was supposed to know her.

"She's Lucas' editor." she explained.

"Oh. Hi." he said quietly.

"You want a drink ?"

"No, I'm fine, thanks."

He looked around them stealthily, but could only see clients.

"He's in the kitchen", Brooke whispered, shaking her head. "And I swear, you're starting to act like those psycho villains in horror movies."

"I don't know what you're talking about." he said with an innocent look.

"He's not going to attack me, you know. If there is one person I'm worried about right now, it's you, not him."

"You're overstating things."

She rolled her eyes, "Right ! I'm the one ovestating things !"

"I don't mean to interrupt you," the editor next to them said, before turning to him. "But can I know who you are, and why you're both talking of Lucas as if he was not in the next room ?"

He looked at her, and noticed she seemed very curious about him. "I'm Nathan S –"

"Oh !" she cried in awe. "The little brother !"

"Half-brother." he corrected quickly.

"Yeah, if you say so. So, from what I heard, you're not here to apologize ?" He wondered what she was talking about, and she seemed to notice that when she kept saying : "You know, about what you told him the other day. Was it last week, or maybe before that, I don't remember..."

Oh, that. She knew about that ?

He gulped when he saw Brooke's quiziccal stare, who had no idea what they were talking about.

"We just had... an argument, the other day at school. When I was training at lunch."

"About what ?" Brooke asked with a frown.

"Nothing, it was stupid..." Like that was gonna be enough for her. She maintained her cold stare until he finally gave in : "He tried to advise me on my game, and I didn't like that so..."

"So what ?"

He sighed, not wanting to talk about it, mainly because he still felt ashamed of what he had said that day. "I told him... I said that I didn't want to receive advice from a sick man who can't play anymore."

Brooke's eyes windened, and she stayed silent for several very long seconds. "You said that to him ?" she asked, her lips stuck in an unusual flat line.

"Yes, but I didn't want to... I mean, I..."

"When was that ?" He didn't know how that could be relevant at all. "When ?" she repeated, crossing her arms.

"Around lunch, right after morning classes."

"What day ?" she asked, her voice hardening with each syllable.

"Does it really matter ?" he said, hoping she would change her mind.

"Nathan..." she murmured, closing her eyes for a second, visibly annoyed.

"It was last week." he admitted. "Thursday."

She looked back at him, and he knew she was putting two and two together.

"So it was right before your nice little speech about how you wanted me to stay away from him ?"

"Don't be mad, I..."

"The only reason why I'm not already yelling at you," she whispered fiercely, "is because I don't want to scare away my clients." He looked down at the counter, realising he was not getting away from this easily. "You told me all that crap because – Because you felt threatened ? Simply because he wanted to be nice with you and help you ?"

He shrugged awkwardly, before looking at her again : "I did mean what I said, Brooke. I care about you and I don't want him to..."

"Stop." she said, looking away.

"Brooke..."

She refused to listen, her eyes staring at the wall next to them.

"I really meant it." he repeated, standing up from his chair, knowing perfectly well that she was not ready to listen to him now.

 **Brooke Davis**

Brooke smiled at the last clients before closing the door behind them and swinging the doorsign, informing they were closed. She sighed, staying for a moment in that position, leaning on the door, trying to clear her mind of everything, then went to the store room to get some clean cloth, and started cleaning the room.

Usually, she only wiped the tables and swept the floor, but this time she felt the need to scrub the place from top to bottom. It often happened when she needed to clear her mind. She didn't want to think about Nathan or to wonder what part of his speech had been true, _if_ anything he had said was really true.

She had been genuinely moved when he had asked her to stay away from Lucas because he didn't want to see them together. She had thought he meant that he cared about her and didn't want them to grow apart.

But it wasn't it at all; he had simply fought with Lucas and had felt the need to make sure that Lucas was not going to steal his life away, starting with her. Like she was his thing ! She had completely misunderstood his words, and the worst thing was that she had been troubled by them. She had felt so guilty for meeting with Lucas despite her earlier promise to avoid him as much as possible. She had been filled with remorse thinking about Nathan and the face he would have made if he had known that she had betrayed him.

She couldn't care less now. She had been so wrong about him; in the end the hatred he had for his brother was nothing else than childishness, and she refused to get all worked up for that. If Nathan couldn't understand that his brother did not have the evil plan to ruin his life, that was his own problem, not hers. She had tried to reason with him but he had not listened, and she was done wasting her time.

She was also done wondering if he felt anything for her. At least now, she had her answer, though she didn't know if it was a good thing or not. She did feel a bit melancholic, thinking that in the end, she had been the only one to ask herself if their relationship was ever going to be different...

"Brooke ?"

She turned around, but didn't see Lucas. He must have called her from the kitchen; she put down the cloth she had and went there in a sluggish gait, feeling all the weight of the day on her shoulders.

When she entered the room, he was waiting for her, sitting down at the long table, his smile intact, though she could clearly see from his eyes that he too was tired from their weekend.

Then she noticed what was on the table, right next to him, and saw that five pastries were standing in a row, waiting to be eaten.

"A little reward." he said when she was standing next to him.

"I love those... Why ?" she asked, looking at him.

"Well, hum... My mom wanted to thank you for staying the whole weekend." he said with a shrug. "I... I just had to put them aside."

"That's really nice, thanks... Where is Lindsay ?"

She had been quite discreet since Nathan had left, and had been so kind as to not make any comment on their argument.

"Here !" she heard Lindsay say, and turned to see she was on the doorstep. "I was cleaning the store room, it was such a mess !"

"Looks like you finally found a job you're great at," Lucas said with a smile. He looked at Brooke, "Linds is very organised."

"We can eat them together, if you want." Brooke told them.

Lindsay's eyes lightened up right away as she quickly walked to them.

"But..." Lucas started saying, furrowing his brow, "they're for you, you know ? You can bring them home."

"Thanks, but my father doesn't eat any sweets, so I'm not eating them on my own."

"What about your mother ?"

Brooke lowered her eyes, "I really can't eat them on my own." she said in a quiet voice.

He sighed, but thankfully didn't insist on her mother, "Fine, if that's what you want."

She smiled at them, grabbing one first. They talked some more, Lindsay still not saying a word on her fight with Nathan, since Lucas hadn't heard anything, too busy in the kitchen.

After a while, Lucas gave her a concerned look : "You should go home, you look exhausted."

"I'm not done with the..."

"It's okay, I'll handle it. Come on, go, you look like you're about to collapse any minute now... Wait, I could drop you off."

"No, I'll be fine." she said with a smile.

She left after putting her apron away, relieved that he had given her the permission to go. She felt like her knees would not hold her very long.

She got her stuff, wished them good night before leaving the Café. As she was turning to go home, she heard a familiar voice call out her name. She turned around and saw Karen walking towards her.

"So, how did it go ?"

"Great," she said before remembering Lindsay's debut, "a few broken mugs ,but nothing big. Lucas and Lindsay are still inside, they will probably leave very soon."

"I guess I was worried for nothing then," she admitted with a sigh. "I have to thank you again for staying, it was so nice of you."

"You're welcome, and it was worth it in the end." Karen frowned at her, apparently not having a clue of what she was talking about. "The pastries."

"What pastries ?"

"Well... The ones you asked Lucas to keep for me."

Her boss raised her eyebrows, then smiled mysteriously as her, "I didn't ask him to do that."

"Ah... Hum, I must have misunderstood then. I... I'll see you tomorrow."

She turned around and went back on her way; her heart started racing again.

It was just a kind thought from him that meant nothing, absolutely nothing at all, she knew that perfetly well. But then why, why was she so ecstatic ?

For a second, she asked herself if that attraction she felt for Lucas was really just a question of hormones. But just as quickly, she thought about Nathan, shook her head and brushed off all these crazy thoughts.

It was no use to try and figure out what it could mean. She was better off forgetting about it.

 **Nathan Scott**

He was on time, for once, something that had not happened in a very long time. His mother had been completely confused when she had seen him rush out of his room this morning and leave for school so early in the morning, when he usually stayed in bed as long as possible.

The truth was, he had not gotten much sleep that night, and not only because of Haley. It was mainly because of Brooke : he had kept replaying in his head the conversation they'd had and the sad and angry look she had given him.

She was probably thinking he had asked her to stay away from Lucas because he was still the same kid who couldn't stand his brother taking everything he had. Which was not completely false, he had to admit. But it wasn't just that either; Brooke did matter to him, and he didn't want her to befriend Lucas, he didn't want them to grow apart because of that.

"You're early."

He looked up, brought back to reality by Haley who was standing in front of him, a surprised look on her face. She then unlocked the door he was standing next to, and let him in.

"I don't know why you're in such a hurry to study."

Once she had locked the door, they sat down at a small round table, and while he was taking out some paper and pens, she asked him where he was failing. He figured he should try to stick to the truth as much as possible, not wanting to lie unnecessarily.

"History. I'm terrible with dates."

She nodded and got up from her seat, went to the shelves behind her to take two books, that she came to place between them.

"I guess we'll start from the first chapter, then... Do you remember what it is ? Nathan ? Nathan are you even listening ? "

He slightly shook his head, pulled out of his thoughts.

"I'm listening." he said, focusing as well as he could.

 **Lucas Scott**

The teacher's lounge ritual was once again taking place, like it had almost every day since his first day here.

He lifted the lid of his lunchbox and put it in the microwave, starving for his mother's leftovers from last night. While his meal was getting heated, he couldn't help but listen to the group of four teachers that was sitting near him, one of them being the most hostile towards him.

From what he heard in the three minutes and forty seconds when he stood next to them, the maths teacher had troubles with one of his students, who didn't want to give his mother's contact details, and he didn't know how to handle him anymore.

Lucas quickly understood what was going on, and pondered on saying anything; were they going to ignore him again ? He could still try, he had nothing to lose.

"Are you talking about Tim Parsons ?"

The four teachers all turned to him at the same time, and the one who had been talking gave him a stunned look, "Do you know him ?"

"No, but I know his brother." So far, they were listening to him. "We were in the same class. Their father died last year... And if I'm right, their stepmother doesn't really take care of them. I think you should talk to his brother directly, he knows him best."

The said teacher raised his eyebrows, and said to him with a smile : "Thanks, I'll do that. Hey, do you want to sit with us ?"

He accepted with a smile and answered the many questions they had about his class, that apparently they had been dying to ask for the past week. He even signed an autograph for one the teachers' nephew.

So the coach had been right, all he had to do was listen to them... If he had been right on this, then why not when he had talked about his inspiration ?

Except that he had already got it back some days ago, which proved he didn't need a muse like Whitey had told him. His inspiration had not left him since, and he spent his days filling his notebook whenever he needed to.

After his day was over he went home, eager to get back to his book. Once he reached the front steps leading to his bedroom, he stopped. Lindsay was sitting down on them, finishing a cigarette.

"How long have you been here ?"

She raised her eyes and got up, walked down the three steps to stand in front of him. She looked up to the sky, and mumbled she was asking herself the same question.

Then she dropped her cigarette to the ground, and crushed it with her heel.

"I'm going back."

That was when he noticed her suitcase, standing a few feet behind her.

"Already ? But you just got here, we didn't get to talk at all."

"I have no reason stay" she said with a shrug, "since I can't read your book for now." She suddenly had a bitter laugh, and slightly shook her head. "I didn't come here for that, though."

"I know," he said with a soft voice, "I'm sorry things are like this."

"Don't be," she told him with a sigh. "I'm no match for her anyway."

He frowned, wondering what she was talking about.

"I'm talking about your private student."

"Brooke ?" She nodded, only leaving him more confused. "I don't get it."

"I know you're a writer and I know you spend most of your days with your head in the clouds, but you'd better get down on earth from time to time," she said with a grin. "Otherwise you'll miss out on very important things... Or people."

"I'm not following here... Are you talking about yourself ?" he asked with hesitation.

"No, you doofus," she said with amusement, "it's not about me anymore."

Then what was it ? Or rather, who ? She usually didn't make things so mysterious, which only made this conversation even more frustrating. Lindsay always got straight to her point, she wasn't the riddle-type.

"What do you think of Brooke ?" she asked her.

"Brooke ?" he repeated, completely lost. "She's interesting, but what does it have to do with... I mean she's an interesting student", he added immediately, emphasising on the last word, "I just want to help her a little."

Lindsay didn't say anything back, but looked strangely satisfied by his answer. She kept grinning when her taxi pulled over in front of them and when she gave her suitcase to the driver.

"And she's free."

"She's a student." he repeated stubbornly. "And no, she's not free. She's dating..."

"Right, your brother," she said, raising an eyebrow. "Well even if she is, she doesn't love him."

He turned to her, wondering what she meant by that, and mostly why she cared so much about all this.

"How can you be so sure ?"

"She said so herself," she explained with a shrug, "she's not in love with anyone for the moment. But she sounded like she wanted that to change."

She thankfully didn't make any other comment and gave a hand gesture to the driver who was starting to lose patience behind his wheel. Then she kissed him on the cheek, made him promise to contact her regularly to give him news about the book, and left as quickly as she had arrived.

Once he was alone, Lucas stayed on his steps for a moment, gazing at the road in front of him, and wondering what she had meant about Brooke... She was with Nathan, right ? His mother had said so herself. Everyone seemed to know it. And yet Lindsay had sounded so sure of her...

And if he had learned one thing about Lindsay in the last two years, it was that once she was sure of something, there was no way to prove her wrong.

* * *

Thanks again for all your nice comments, reviews and PMs. Thinking back, maybe I should have written more scenes between lucas and lindsay in this one... Anyway I still hope you've enjoyed it.

Next one should be up in 5-7 days, as usual ! It's titled "My father's eyes" and you'll see more of Ted & Haley ;)


	5. My father's eyes

**MY FATHER'S EYES**

 **Peyton Sawyer**

Rachel hesitated for a moment before saying her next line, and looked twice at her text before saying out loud what was written on it :

"Ha, really ? I thought it was in Europe !" she said with a wacko voice to which Peyton almost giggled. "But wait, Chicago is... No, this is just not possible." she suddenly stopped.

She got down from the table she had been sitting on with two other girls dressed as cheerleaders, and turned to Julian who was standing a few feet from them, trying to picture the scene.

"Why ?" he asked in surprise.

"I refuse to play such a stupid girl !"

Here we go again, Peyton thought.

Julian had shown her his script last week, so that she could have an idea of what the story was. Peyton had first planned on skimming through it quickly, but had ended up reading it with attention; it was about a high school senior, Alex, in love with a girl from his school. The problem was that she was a cheerleader, and he was just an introverted and ostracized nerd.

Peyton had told him she had had a déjà-vu impression of reading this story before; he had told her that was possible, since he got insipiration from what he could see or hear around him.

"It's just a role." Julian told her, keeping his calm.

He always seemed to keep his cool, probably because he was now used to Rachel's tantrums. She had had a lot of complaints, especially about the character she way playing, that she judged too stupid to be real.

"Come on, don't you see how full of clichés she is ?" she cried, throwing her script on the table behind her.

"Of course I do, it's on purpose."

They had already had this very same conversation at least ten times in the previous three rehearsals, they were just going round and round in circles.

"It is a little excessive," Mouth intervened.

Peyton looked at him; he was sitting at another table, farther than Julian, and was watching the scene with attention.

"Both of your main actors think that something's wrong, don't you think it means something ?" Rachel said to her director, after thanking Mouth with a dazzling smile.

Julian closed his eyes for a second, and pinched the skin between his eyebrows before turning to Mouth. "I thought you got the point."

"I do get it," he told his friend, "but maybe it is a bit..."

"Fine," he interrupted him with a note of exasperation in his voice. "I get it, it sucks."

Wow, he was very quick to lose confidence. Peyton stood up too, fidgeting to fight the winter cold that came with the beginning of March and checked her watch for the fifth time in ten minutes : almost 1 pm. She looked at Mouth, who had the same worried look on his face. With the way things were going, they were stuck outside for another half an hour. When she had asked him why they couldn't rehease inside their school, he had explained that it was better to get in real conditions, so that could get into character more easily. Even if that meant staying an hour outside, in the cold, freezing themselves to death when they could do what they were doing in the warm theatre available to them.

"I just wanted to emphasise on their clichés as much as I could," he sighed, looking at them all, "to show how ridiculous they are."

"What if you did the opposite ?" Peyton asked.

She could do anything to shorten their meeting, even suggest weird ideas.

"What do you mean, the opposite ?" Rachel asked her first.

"Well, instead of the geeky boy falling in love with the dumb popular girl... The cheerleader falls in love with him."

"But then.." Julian started saying, apparently thinking about it, "the movie would be filmed from her point of view, right ?"

She hadn't thought that far, but..."I guess that would be better, yes."

"And as the movie goes on," Mouth added with a smile, "we would realise that she is not that stupid at all !"

"Or maybe she's just putting an act !" Rachel cried, her eyes brightening. "You know, some kind of walls she has built to protect herself..."

They all held their breaths, waiting for Julian's reaction, but he simply kept standing up, looking at his feet. Peyton wondered then if her attempt to shorten their rehearsal had not just had the very opposite effect.

"It's good," he said, looking up at Peyton. "It's really good. It's original, and more interesting."

"Thanks, "she quickly said, "so can we go now ?"

"Um, sure, of course. Thanks everyone !" he told them, his spirits lifted. "Next rehearsal is on Friday, I'll try to rewrite the script by then... Peyton can you help me with that ?"

She raised her eyebrows, confused; why was he asking her such a thing ? She knew about music, not writing. "Don't you think you should ask someone else to..."

"I'm asking you." he said on a firm tone, without being too abrupt, just enough to make her understand that she'd better help him if she wanted him to keep quiet about Brooke.

"Fine, as you wish." she murmured, trying her best not to sound snarly.

 **Brooke Davis**

Brooke glanced at the food tray in front of her, her hunger increasing by the second. She had told Peyton she didn't mind waiting for her so that they could eat together, when her friend had told her she would be back at 1 pm, but Brooke had thought she would quickly be back. And yet it was already twenty minutes past one, Peyton was still not here, and her tray was getting colder at a frightening speed. She thought of eating first, but then remembered why her friend wasn't there, why she was being held back, and figured it couldn't hurt to wait a little more.

Right at the moment when she thought she wouldn't hold back much longer, Peyton crossed the cafeteria doors, scanned the room to find her and strode to her.

"I'm so sorry," she told her once she had reached her, "he kept us way longer than expected..."

She didn't know at first why she had said 'us'. Then she saw that someone was walking to them, following Peyton with a warm smile.

"Oh, hi Mouth !" Brooke said.

She didn't know him that much, but they had met several times already, since he commented the basketball games she was cheering for. Peyton had already told her that he was part of their troupe, just like Rachel, and seven other students she didn't know.

"I'll be right back with my food." Peyton said.

She waited another two minutes, until they came back, accompanied by another student.

"They can eat with us, right ?" Peyton asked her, mostly for politeness.

"Sure," Brooke said with a smile, realising the extra girl they had brought was Haley James.

Apparently, Haley had been waiting for Mouth too. Famished, they all went straight to their respective food and didn't talk for a few minutes; Mouth then started talking about their movie and things she didn't fully understand. Peyton had told her what they were doing during their rehearsals, and to Brooke, it sounded quite insane. Why turn into an icecube outside when they could do it in a heated room ? All they were doing for now was reading lines. Nothing more. But the cinematographic genius that was Julian seemed to know that it was better for them to get into characters... Well, maybe it was, but what about Peyton then ? Why did he want her to come at each rehearsal, he had told her she could help with the music, so why was she needed now ?

Even if Peyton kept telling her Julian was not a bad guy, Brooke wasn't naïve. He was hiding something, she was sure of it; she didn't know what, but one way or another she would find it out.

She soon lost track of what Mouth was telling them and had no idea what he was talking about. Instead of trying to get back into the conversation, she turned to Haley, who also looked like she wasn't very interested in all that.

"Are you part of the movie too ?"

She turned to her, looking surprised, and slightly shook her head : " No, I don't... do that."

"Why not ?" Brooke asked, curious.

"Well," she said, sounding a little awkward, "It's not really my thing... And I'm busy enough with my job here."

"Your job ?"

"At the tutoring center."

Brooke remembered repeatingly seeing her talking to teachers at the end of their class... Now she knew why. "I didn't know you were a tutor," she admitted,"and, um... Do you like it ?"

Haley looked taken aback by her question, but still answered with a smile : "Yeah, a lot. I help as much as I can, but I still wish I could have a better paying job, to save up before going to college."

Of course, everyone was not lucky enough to afford college, and many high school students were already working to save some money and lighten their parents future expenses.

It was absolutely not for that reason that Brooke had started working at the Café, but that didn't mean she couldn't sympathize.

"Where are you going next year ?"

"Standford," Haley said.

"Wow." she said, impressed. "It's great that you got in !"

"And you ?" she asked after a moment of hesitation. "Do you know where you'll go ?"

"Not really, no... Probably to college," she said with a shrug. "It's hard to know what we'll like without trying it..."

"I get that... It's like playing darts with a blindfold, and yet it's our future."

She kept talking, but Brooke only half listened to her, deep into her thoughts. She rewinded what Haley had just told her about that job she needed, and then remembered a conversation she had recently had with Karen.

"I might have a solution for the job you're looking for."

 **Nathan Scott**

Not a soul was in the corridors; he had been waiting there for several minutes already, and no one had passed by him. He had not seen anyone open that damn door either. He had been standing still, staring at that door for ten good minutes now, leaning on the wall in front of it.

He had tried to speak to Brooke, the day before, but she had refused to listen to him. She had completely ignored him that morning, and had almost hidden under a table at lunch when she had spotted him. In the evening, though, she had eventually given in, when they had met at the Café. He hadn't chose the place randomly : he knew that _if_ she accepted to talk to him, she would never raise her voice on her workplace. It was very cowardly of him, he knew that very well, but against Brooke, he prefered to avoid the worst situation possible.

When she had finally talked to him, she had coldly explained that she was going to ignore him as long as he would act like a kid.

He had to make amends, then. For a great part of the night, he had wondered how he was going to do it; he couldn't solve this with flowers. She wanted him to show her he was not a child anymore, that he had matured, and there was only one way to do that. Even if it cost him a lot, he had to apologize to Lucas.

In theory, it was a very simple thing to do, bu to put it into practice... He had now been waiting for fifteen minutes; he suddenly felt a rush to back-pedal. It had been more than a week since his altercation with Lucas, and even if they had passed each other numerous times since then, his half-brother had never tried to approach him, and Nathan could understand why. This time, he was not making the first move, not after what he had told him in the gym.

He took a few steps until he was inches away from the door, knocked three times on it. It opened, and a teacher he didn't know looked at him up and down, as if he had just interrupted a sacred time for them. Nathan didn't say anything though, and asked with his most polite tone if mister Scott was here. Saying these two words out loud had felt a little strange, like he was talking of someone he didn't know at all.

Lucas appeared after a short moment, and very quickly hid his surprise by a cold and distant stare.

"Do you have a moment ?"

Lucas gave him a nod and closed the door behind him. For a second, Nathan asked himself if the teachers behind that door could still hear them talk, and thought it would be best to get away from it before slowly walking down the hall.

"I owe you an apology." he eventually said after a long silence. "I shouldn't have talked to you like that the other day, it was really rude."

It took him a few steps to notice that Lucas had stopped walking; he turned around to see his stunned face gazing at him.

"Thanks," he said with a hint of a smile. "I didn't think you would actually come to apologize."

"I know it took some time," he retorted, a little annoyed that he had to constantly point at every one of his flaws. "At least I did it."

That was all he had to say; he had apologized as promised, he owed him nothing else. He turned around then, walking away from him, but stopped when he heard Lucas' voice.

"Why did you get so angry that day ?"

Nathan faced him again, his brow furrowed.

"Why do you care" he asked in a cold voice, "after so long ?"

Lucas frowned a bit, and walked the distance between them : "You're wrong, I've always wondered what I had done to you... I guess I just stopped wondering after a while."

Nathan held his gaze. "It doesn't matter," he said with a shrug, "sometimes you just don't like someone."

"So why did you apologize then ?"

"I..." he hesitated for a moment, and decided to be, for once, honest with him. "It's Brooke you have to thank for that, not me."

He was ready to leave again, but noticed that Lucas had suddenly started smiling.

"I knew she could be convincing," he said on an amused tone, "but I didn't think she could be that good at it."

Nathan shot him a dirty look, which didn't seem to take his sudden cheerfulness away. He didn't like seeing him smile that way when talking about Brooke; he didn't know what were his intentions with her, but the simple fact that he had any bothered him.

"Don't smile like that," he told him dryly. "Don't even think of it."

"What are you talking about ?" he asked, his bright look fading away.

"Like you don't know."

If he was acting, he was really good at it. He looked so stunned that Nathan was telling him that, and got almost shocked when he understood what he had meant. "You're completely wrong !" he cried.

"I don't care if I'm right or not," he retorted, even if he was starting to believe that maybe, Lucas was really not trying anything with her. "All I'm saying is you better not touch a single hair of her head."

"And why would I do that ?" Lucas asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because that would be a good way to get to me."

Lucas frowned, then sighed, slowly shaking his head; with that simple gesture, he managed to make him feel strangely idiotic.

"We're not five anymore, Nathan," he murmured with a surprisingly hard tone, "the time when we used to get at each other's neck for no reason at all is gone. And if I have a problem with you, I'll talk to you directly, I will certainly not use Brooke as an intermediate."

That was the first time since he had come back that Nathan noticed his half-brother had turned into an adult. Not just physically, but also in his behavior... In the way he could lecture him. It wasn't something he liked a lot, but he didn't say anything back since he knew that somehow, he had deserved that scolding.

"You know," Lucas said with a grin, "I've never seen you so close to anyone before. To think that you would even threaten me..."

"Well Brooke is a like a sister to me, so yes, I don't want her to be hurt," he said with a shrug.

Lucas frowned again, cocked his head on the side before asking him in a confused voice : "Since when do you date your sister ?"

At first, he didn't understand why he was saying this.

Then he remembered what he had just told him about Brooke, and saw his mistake.

"It's... It's not what I meant." he tried to correct, clumsily.

"And yet it is what you said."

"I..." he started stuttering, taken back, "You're just twisting my words." he mumbled before leaving in a hurry, hoping that he would not follow him.

Lucas indeed stayed back, to his relief, and thankfully didn't ask any other questions; Nathan thanked him on the inside for that. He knew he had just slipped big deal, there was no need to worsen things.

It wasn't like he had explictly told Lucas he wasn't going out with her, but... His words must have sounded strange to him, from his reaction. And it was normal, anyone would have reacted the same way. Who in the world described their girlfriend as their sister, apart from weird incestuous families ?

What would happen if Lucas tried to know more about them ? About the true nature of their relation ship ? From what he had just said, he wouldn't use it against him, but that wasn't Nathan's concern. He knew Lucas was terribly curious, and if he ever learned that they were only pretending to date, he would want to know why. Unlike Brooke, and to a certain extent Peyton, he wouldn't be satisfied with the excuse he had given the girls. And if there was one person to whom he didn't want to say his real reason, it was definitely Lucas.

He tried not to think about that anymore, and looked for Brooke the rest of afternoon, in vain; she seemed to be hiding from him again. He could still try to go at the Café, but he quickly recalled that she didn't work there on tuesdays. So he called her house, but got no answer, and figured that she was either absent or ignoring his calls. He still decided to go to the Café, hoping that she had gone there with Peyton and the rest of their team.

When he arrived, he quickly saw that she wasn't there, and that no cheeleader was there either. He was about to go back on his steps and try Peyton's house, when he noticed a waitress he had never seen before, taking an order. He could only see her back, but her hair looked familiar...

She turned to the door for a brief moment; it was enough to recognise Haley. Suddenly, his need to leave the place disappeared, and he went to the counter, following her. She went straight to the kitchen though, but came back right after, her face plunged in her notebook. She eventually raised her head, and almost jumped when she saw him staring at her.

"Nathan !" she said with surprise. "What are you doing here ?"

"I should be asking you when do you work here ?"

"Ah, well I'm only on trial, apparently the owner was looking for someone on tuesdays and thursdays."

Which meant another way to see her out of school.

"Actually, Brooke told me about the job. She also introduced me to Karen."

He raised his eyebrows; since when did those two know each other ?

"You didn't know ?" she asked him, a little surprised.

"She's not talking to me right now..." he mumbled looking down at his hands. "It's been two days now."

"Are you alright ?" she asked him only after a while.

He looked up at her and saw that she looked genuinely concerned. Yet she barely knew him, and he had not really shown her his best version of himself when he had pretented to be a complete idiot. She did seem worried for him though.

"Yes," he said to her. "We'll work things out."

"It would be too bad if you didn't."

"Why ?" he asked, confused.

She suddenly blushed, visibly embarrassed. "It's not like I spy on you or anything," she said in a hesitating voice, "but you're a pretty popular couple... And I think you suit each other." she shrugged.

"And why is that ?" he asked, eager to know her opinion.

"I don't know... It just... You guys look natural together."

It was one of the main reasons why he had chosen Brooke for his deal. The popular cheerleader and the baskbetball captain, who wouldn't buy it ?

"So if I was with someone else, you think it wouldn't look natural ?"

She frowned a little, probably wondering where this question came from, but still answered him : "It's not that, but we've seen you together for so long now... I can't picture you going out with someone who would be very different from Brooke."

"I disagree." he immediately said.

She seemed to get even more confused, and was about to ask him something, but stayed silent. She apparently decided to ask her question when she opened her mouth again : "Are you thinking of breaking up with her ?" He raised his eyebrows, and she added, her cheeks turning crimson : "I'm... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that..."

"Then why did you ?" was the first thing that came to his mind.

She seemed relieved that he wasn't upset, and gave him an awkward shrug, "It's just that when you talk about her, you sound like you don't want to keep going out with her. But it's just an impression I have, nothing more. I... I must be wrong. I have to get back to work." she added hurriedly, rushing to her clients without looking back at him.

Nathan gazed at her as she was cleaning a table, captivated by her; how could she guess things about him so easily ?

 **Brooke Davis**

"I don't know, I'm just wondering what becomes of George after that," she sighed, putting back the book down in front of her. "He did kill his best friend after all, but on the other side it's what the others were going to do, so in a way he's not threatened anymore, but..."

Lucas finished her sentence, "But he will have the death of his friend on his conscience for the rest of his days."

He leaned back on his chair, and gave her his usual stare, making her a little uncomfortable. Even though the lighting around them was very unsufficient for a library, she could still notice quickly whenever he was staring. But then, apart from the books surrounding them, there wasn't much to stare at.

"It must be so hard to make that choice, abandoning his friend in order to save him." she added quietly.

"He didn't abandon him," he retorted, "well, not really. Death was the only way to help him... Would you have written it differently then, the ending ?"

Brooke looked at the cover of the book, representing a small and thin man walking next to a much bigger man who was built like a tank.

"No," she sighed. "It wasn't the first time things went like that, poor Lennie was bound to do it again at their next stop. He had to put an end to that cycle, one way or another."

"So, did you like the book ?" he asked, grabbing a pen on their table.

"Loved it," she said with a smile. "It was really good."

He checked the book's name from the list they had both established on their first meeting. Brooke glanced at her watch, her eyes immediately widening when she realised it was already so late; she hadn't seen the time go by. She took her phone and texted her father, telling him she was at Peyton's and would be home soon.

When Lucas asked her what she was doing, she explained to him that her father was propably worried that she wasn't home yet, and wanted to reassure him. She also confessed that her father didn't know about their private meetings.

"He wouldn't like to know that I'm hanging out with a teacher..." she said sheepishly. "He can be very, very protective. In a crazy psychotic way."

"He's not the only one then..." Lucas murmured with a hint of a smile.

"What do you mean ?"

He then told her how, at lunch, Nathan had come to apologize, which pleased her a lot. It didn't last long though, since he then told her the rest of their conversation, after she insisted to know exactly what Nathan had said to him.

"I'm sorry, I have no idea why he reacts like that..." she said, though happy enough that he had apologized.

"He doesn't trust me, but that's not your fault," he said with a shrug.

"I just think it's too bad..." she sighed. "I don't have any brother or sister, but if I had, I'd try to get along with them... At least I think I would."

"You're an only child then ?" he asked with interest.

"Yes... My mother didn't want other children." she explained bitterly. "My father did, but he gave in, as usual."

He always ended up obeying Victoria, whatever their argument was about. Love might be blind, but in her father's case, sometimes it was also deaf, and dumb.

"You don't seem to get along well..." he said softly.

"No kidding." she retorted, her voice harder than intended.

He slightly frowned, while she was already regretting her abrupt tone. "Sorry," he said, "I didn't think..."

"No, I should apologize." she interrupted him with an apologetic smile. "I tend to easily lose my temper when I have to deal with her... It's just that we've never been close, not even when I was a child, and she's always been absent... as far as I can remember."

"Oh," he said with an understanding nod. "I don't think I've ever seen her."

"She doesn't live here. I mean, officially she does, but she works in New York so she's always there. My dad visits her every month and she calls home too, but she's not here very often..." She looked at his hands, hesitating before saying, "I envy you."

"I don't see why you would," he said on a confused tone after a moment of silence.

She looked up at him, a slight smile on her lips : "You're lucky to have Karen. She's a great mother."

He gave her back a smile, "But I didn't have a father."

"You don't sound like you missed him."

"I did, though." he admitted, looking at his hands. "I didn't miss out on anything thanks to my mom, but... I've always wanted to know how it was... How it felt to have a great father."

"I get that." she said with a compassionate smile.

"Well, from what I heard you know how it's like."

"I do." she said, her grin getting wider. "Hey, if we get together we'll have a pretty amazing set of parents !" She blushed instantly, realising what she had just said could be misleading, "I mean, no... not that..."

"I know." he thankfully interrupted her awkward stuttering and leaned back on his chair, his face shadowed, making it impossible for her to read his face. "We should get going now."

"Yes..." she whispered, getting up from her chair too.

She had to thank the library owner one day for the poor lighting here. Otherwise, he would have noticed her face had turned red.

He opened the front door for her and let her pass; as soon as she stepped outside, she crossed her arms and tightened her coat around her, as if it would protect her from the cold. The weather was supposed to warmer but was doing just the opposite.

She turned to her right, started walking as fast as she could to warm herself up, but got held back; Lucas had gently grabbed her shoulder from behind, preventing her from taking another step.

"Where do you think you're going ?" he asked her. "My car is the other way."

"Thanks but I'm gonna walk home, I'm not..."

"No you're not," he said on a surprisingly unyielding voice. "Come on, let's go."

He didn't leave her any choice really, and didn't let go of her shoulder until she agreed on following him to his car.

When he started the car, he turned on his radio, probably to avoid too much silence. She closed her eyes briefly, her eyeslids suddenly weighing tons, and turned to him.

"How long does it take to write a book ?"

He looked surprised by her question, "Why, do you want to write one ?"

"No," she said with a chuckle, "I'm wondering when I'll be able to read your new book."

"I thought you didn't like my books ?" he said with even more surprise.

"Actually, I didn't tell you but I finished your first book. And I really liked it," she added with a shrug. "Hey, can I read your manuscrit before it's published ?"

He didn't answer right way, but she noticed a brief smile flashing on his face and disappearing right after, "I'll keep a copy then. But I'm not making any promises... I don't know if it will be good."

She smiled at him, "Thanks. And speaking of... Why didn't you get pissed when I told you your two last books were rubbish ?"

That had been on her mind ever since their meeting... She had not expected him to go raging mad, but at least to be a tiny bit vexed, certainly not satisfied as he had looked.

"Its just that... You were the first one to say that... And I think the same on these books. You were the first person to tell me what you really thought of them, and I liked that."

But if he knew his books were not that good, why did he have them published ? Maybe he hadn't had a choice with his editor... From what she had seen of Lindsay, editors seemed to be in a rush for their writers to deliver new books, as quickly as possible.

"I hadn't seen someone that honest in a long while."

She raised her eyebrows, then turned to her window, trying not to look at him. "You must have met a lot of people though, last year," she murmured, trying to hide her embarassment.

"I did," he admitted, "but no one like you." Brooke noticed her hands were sweaty, and looked at them, wondering what was up with her. "If Nathan heard me right now," he added with a laugh, "he would rip my head off."

His laughter, for some reason, made her nauseous; she didn't find it funny at all. She was relieved to see that they had reached her house, and once he had pulled over, she thanked him for the ride and opened the door.

He held her back again, just like he had a few minutes earlier. She turned to him, intrigued, and even more confused when she saw the hesitating look he had.

"What is it ?" she asked, closing the door.

"Is everything going well... with Nathan ?" She furrowed her brow, wondering why he was asking that, and he seeemed to notice that for he added : "I'm just curious... about my brother."

She noticed his voice had slightly shaken in his last words, but didn't dwell on it. "Thigns are fine, I guess. I'm glad he apologized to you."

"And, um... How did you meet ?" She shot him a skeptical look, asking herself why he wanted to know that. Before she could answer, he said, "I just want to know more about him."

Again with that shaking voice. "We met at school."

"And how exactly did you –"

"Lucas," she said, a little upset, but mostly embarrassed, "I'm sorry but even if I'm very grateful for what you're doing for me, this is way too personal."

Why was he suddenly asking tactless questions about Nathan ? He had avoided that subject since the beginning, so why now ? She did understand now where his hesitation came from... He must have expected her to react the way she just did, so why did he ask her ? To simply know his brother ?

She got out of the car without a word and ignored him when he called out to her, rushing to her front door. Once she had closed it behind her, she cupped both her cheeks, burning despite the outside cold.

" Where the hell have you been ?!"

Brooke jumped at her father's shout; she turned around and saw that he was only a few feet away from her, leaning on the kitchen door, a furious look that she was not used to in his eyes.

"It's past 9 pm, Brooke, and you have school tomorrow," he added, his arms crossed. "What were you thinking ?"

"I'm sorry..." she quietly said. "I was with..."

"Careful," he said with a frown. "I called Peyton and she tried to cover up for you but I'm not stupid."

Brooke sighed, took off her coat to hang it on the wall, "I was with a friend."

"The one who dropped you off ?" She turned to him, aghast; how did he know that ? "I saw you through the window."

"Yeah, it was him, but..."

She sighed again, resigned; she hadn't much choice anymore, she had to explain who Lucas was, and why she was seeing him after school.

She told him the whole story, skipping the part with her new found attraction for him... No need to worry him any further.

Her father's face softened with her explanation, and when she was over, he sighed, nodding at her.

"Fine, I get it... But there's no way you're seeing him again."

"What ?" she cried. "But you just..."

"I cannot trust him, Brooke." he said on a hard tone.

"But dad, it's just a book club, we're talking about books, nothing else !" she argued, walking up to him. "I swear to you, Lucas is not..."

"This is not normal, Brooke," he interrupted her. "You're not supposed to be so close to a teacher. You're not supposed to call him by his first name, or spend nights with him."

"But daddy, I..."

"Fine, then answer this : why do you have to meet in such a secluded place ?"

Brooke furrowed her brow, realising he had trapped her with his question, "I don't know, it would be weird if anyone from school saw us..."

"Which proves I'm right."

"This isn't fair," she said, staring at him.

"Oh please, you know very well there are geater injustices in this world."

She took a step back, wondering why her father was attacking her like that. He wasn't used to doing that, "What are you talking about ?"

"I'm talking about your attitude with your mother."

Her heart started racing, a furious feeling of injustice rising in her, "You're just getting revenge for that !"

"Of course I'm not," he retorted, his legendary calmness gone now. "But it still bothers me when you refuse to talk to her."

"How can you say that ?" she shook her head in disgust. "How can you still defend her after all this time ?"

"She's like that," he retorted curtly. "She cannot be changed, you know that."

"Well at least we know who I'm taking after !" she shouted, walking to the stairs.

"Where do you think you're going ?" he shouted back, while she had already climbed several steps.

She stopped for a moment, giving him an icy look, "In my room ! Why, am I forbidden to go there too ?"

She quickly climbed the rest of the stairs and rushed to her shelter, slamming the door behind her.

Once she was alone, she let herself fall on her bed, taking slow breaths to calm herself down. She sat straight and went to take her laptop.

Peyton was online, as usual. Brooke took her headphones to make sure her father would not entirely hear their conversation, even if she knew that he wasn't the spying type. He was probably still downstairs, regretting what he had just said, or rather the way he had said it. It was in fact why Brooke hadn't lost her temper against him.

"What's wrong ?" Peyton asked her as soon as her webcam turned on.

"I got into a fight with... What is he doing here ?" she cried in surprise.

Behind Peyton, sitting on her bed, was Julian, who apparently was pretending not to hear them. Brooke knew they had to meet for a script thing, but since when was she inviting him at her place, in her bedroom ?

"Erm, it's just that we're not done with the script, you know, I told you we had to rewrite it, so I told him to stay until it was done," she said, a little nervous.

"I can go if you want," Julian immediately said.

"No, stay," Brooke sighed. "I don't care if you hear what we say."

After all, he already knew about Nathan and her, so what difference would it make ? Peyton pondered on it, before repeating her initial question.

"I fought with my dad."

"Who, Ted ?" Peyton cried.

"No P., my other father," she said, rolling her eyes, "yes, Ted, how many genitors do you think I have ?"

"Well, it's just that... It doesn't happen a lot."

"It never happens," she corrected with a sigh, "I just got home and he..."

"You JUST got home ?" she said, her eyebrows raised. "You've been with Lucas this whole time ?"

Brooke shrugged, a sheepish look on her face, "Time really flies when we talk." Peyton gave her a grin full of meaning. "No, it's not that." Brooke told her, "But it's exactly what my father fears. He thinks Lucas is some kind of sexual predator who chose me as his next prey."

"But he's never met him."

"And he can't, absolutlely not," her eyes widened. "He would kill him."

"Yup, sounds like your dad..." her friend sighed. "So what are you gonna do ?"

"Nothing," she simply said. "I can't disobey him, it would only make him angrier. And trying to change his mind would be useless too, he can be way more stubborn than me sometimes..."

"But Brooke," she said with a soft voice, "didn't you say you like spending time with him ?"

She sighed, then vaguely shrugged, "Not that much..." she said, before remembering who she was talking to. "Fine, I did, a lot too. But anyway... Maybe it's better off this way ?"

Peyton seemed confused at that, "You think ? Why ?"

"Well... I should probably stop meeting him before I really... I mean, before I start having any feelings."

"Oh... I thought it was just attraction ? Physical, I mean, nothing emotional ?"

"I thought so too," she said, blushing. "But maybe it's not just that. I just... I like being with him." She really liked spending her evenings with him... Except maybe when he started cornering her with private questions in his car. "He was weird, though, when he dropped me off." she said before telling her what had happened.

"He asked you that ?" Peyton asked her, startled.

"Yeah, but I don't know why. And he also was... I don't, acting different. Nervous."

"Wait, didn't you say Nathan apologized to him ?"

"Yeah, this morning. Why ?"

"I don't know..." her friend shrugged. "Maybe it's related."

"In any case, I'd rather just forget about it. And it's not like anything could happen between us, not with Nathan around at least... And anyway he only sees me as a child."

She was neither disappointed, nor sad. She had known from the beginning, from the moment she had first felt that attraction, that it was always going to be one-sided. It had not bothered her, all she would have had to do was put aside her feelings and bury good thing now was that she didn't have to hide anything anymore, she simply had to get rid of it.

 **Lucas Scott**

At the end of his class, he looked at Brooke from the corner of his eye; she was putting her stuff away, chatting with a friend. He sighed inwardly, hoping and praying that she wouldn't run away and that he would get some time to see her and apologize for his behavior.

He thought he was lucky when he noticed how slow she was, then realised that she probably wanted to talk to him too. When every other student had left, she closed the door and turned to him.

He had already noticed during his class that she didn't look very well. She did not have her usual joyous look, her eyes were kind of dark. He had thought he was just imagining things, but now, he could clearly see he had been right.

"What's wrong ?" he asked her, surprised by his own worry.

She stayed at the door, nervously fidgeting, "I can't come tomorrow night. Or any other night, actually."

He straightened his back, startled, and walked towards her, "Is it because of what I said to you the other night ? Because if it is, I want to say I'm sorry, I shouldn't have insisted like that."

He didn't even know himself why he had asked her all these questions. It wasn't just because he wanted to know more about Nathan, no, he was simply intrigued by... By her.

First Lindsay tells him she's not in love with anyone, then Nathan states that she's like a sister to him... He didn't get it, at all. So he had figured maybe she could bring some explanation, though he had known she was probably going to tell him to mind his own business.

"It's not that." she said softly.

"Then why ?" he asked, even more confused.

"I..." she was clearly hesitating. "It doesn't matter..."

"It does to me." he said, surprising her in the process. "It would be too bad to stop now, don't you think so ?"

"I do," she murmured, "I do, but I can't..."

She didn't finish her sentence, looking away in embarrassment. "You can't what ?"

"My father doesn't want us to meet outside of school", she said in a bitter voice, "he saw us yesterday, and... Well let's just say he doesn't trust you, he thinks you're, um... ill-intentioned."

Which was pretty understandable, from his point of view, but still wasn't a good enough reason for them not to meet. "And he won't change his mind ?"

Brooke slightly shook her head, and gave a faint smile, "Thanks though, for the last nights. I never thought I would ever like reading, and I swear, I'll keep reading on my own."

It made him smile too, but as soon as she had left the room, he leaned on his desk, worried... and upset. He got that he couldn't be trusted, but Brooke's father could have made an effort to meet him, at least for his daughter, no ?

He raised his head when he heard a knock on the door, and saw with surprise the Coach entering the room.

"Ah there you are, I've been looking everywhere for you !"

"Hi, Coach," he said with a smile.

"Everything's alright ?" he asked back, screwing up his eyes.

"Yes, I just... I have some troubles, nothing big though."

Whitey nodded, then came to sit at his desk. "So this is where you teach those little monsters, uh ?"

Lucas turned to face him, "Yes, well today at least."

"And... does that take a lot of your time ?"

"It still gives me enough time to write." he answered with a shrug. "Why ?"

"Well..." Whitey hesitated, which didn't happen very often, "I have a favor to ask." Lucas raised his eyebrows, a little startled, wondering what this could be about. "The season is getting to an end, and my players are pathetic," he said with an aggrieved face, "I swear, sometimes I feel like they forget how to run." Lucas held back a smile, and kept nodding in silence. "So I could use your help."

"And how exactly can I..."

"You're a veteran too," he said, "but you're still young. You can talk to them. If they see you in the gym, I'm sure they'll have plenty of questions for you, and maybe with some luck they'll even listen to you."

"So... You need an assistant ?"

"It would be for free, though." he said, making a face.

He stared at him for a moment, but quickly figured he didn't need a long time to give him a reply : "Trainings are still on wednesday and friday nights ?" he asked with a smile that Whitey quickly mimicked.

 **Brooke Davis**

Through the Café's windows, she could see the sun slowly setting down on Tree Hill. Good, that meant her day was getting to its end, and she couldn't wait to be home. All day long she had tried to keep in her bad mood, and had been very good at it, except around Peyton of course. Her friend had known right away that she was depressed, and had not tried to cheer her up; she knew it wasn't what she wanted. Brooke remembered she had to thank her, once her mood would get better. The last thing she needed, was people telling her to get better. She didn't want to be in a good mood. She really couldn't stand it.

Behind the counter, she kept reading her book of the day, her eyes raising when she heard the doorbell ring. She slowly put down her book, as Nathan was walking towards her, a sheepish look on his face. When he arrived right in front of her, he stayed silent, and kept looking at her.

"I know you went to see Lucas," she told him, "it's a good thing you did there."

"I did it for you."

"I wonder if you really mean that..."

"Come on Brooke, you're one of my best friends," he said with a concern look", why would you doubt me that much ?"

"I... I don't know." she said with a shrug.

She didn't know what was going to happen with them. She knew they couldn't stay in that fake relationship any longer, they were heading into a dead end, but what direction were they supposed to take ? All she knew was that she didn't want him out of her life.

"How was your training ?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Awful," he said, apparently relieved that they were talking as usual. "Lucas is now Whitey's assistant."

"He is ?" she asked in susprised, then feared that they had gotten into another fight.

"I didn't say a thing," he added immediately, "I didn't tell him anything."

"Good, then. It's about time you learn how to act civilised around him, don't you think ?"

"I hate to say it... But you're right. It's not that easy, though, but I promise I'll give it a try."

What he didn't seem to realise was that getting to know his brother wasn't supposed to be an effort for him. But she didn't point that out, simply gave him a nod.

"Are you sure you're alright ?" he asked, sounding worried.

"Yes I'm fine," she said with a faint smile, "I'm just a little tired, that's all. I'll be better once I'm home."

She didn't even believe in her words, since getting home only meant confronting her father.. This morning, he had left before her, but she knew that she couldn't avoid him tonight. That meant having another fight with him, since they were both very hard-headed, and Brooke would have rather avoided that. She loved her father, and that was never going to change, but he had a knack for getting on her nerves whenever he was defending Victoria.

When she got home, Ted was already there, busy in their kitchen. She sticked her head in the door, recognising a familiar smell. He had cooked her favorite pastas; he was feeling guilty about yesterday, no doubt about it. When diner came, they didn't talk about their argument and ate their meal as usual, talking about their respective days, while avoiding anything that had to do with books or Lucas. Their dinner was still different from usual though, an awkward atmosphere lingering around them; as soon as she was done with her meal, she got up from her chair and went to do the dishes.

A few minutes after she had started washing their plates, she heard their doorbell ring. She froze for a moment, wondering who it could be this late, and then thought it was probably one of her father's colleagues who had come to discuss an important file or something; it often happened, even later than that.

When she was done with the dishes, she went back to the living room, expecting to greet one of her dad's friends, and was surprised... or rather, staggered, to see Lucas sitting on her couch. Ted was on the armchair right across him, a coffee table separating them. Brooke immediately thought he could easily jump above that table to strangle Lucas.

She turned to Lucas, who smiled when he saw her, and gave him a confused look, wondering what he was doing there and mostly, if he was suicidal. It was the only plausible explanation to his presence here, the only one she could think of.

"Now that she is here, will you tell me what brings you here ?" Ted asked him.

She could see he was supressing his anger, even more when she went to sit next to Lucas.

"I wanted to talk to you about Brooke," he said, staring back at Ted.

His face was unshaken, but when she looked down, Brooke noticed he was nervously playing with his shirt-tail.

"Look, there is no way you can meet her..."

"Do you even know why we're having these meetings ?" Lucas then asked him.

"Yes, Brooke told me. To talk about books, right ?"

"It's not just that." Brooke turned to him, perplexed. What did he mean by that, what was it then ? "She may not know it, but Brooke is brilliant. It's not just her interest in reading I wanted to awaken, it's also her criticism," he said with a hint of a smile. "And it worked, her reasonings are impressingly well developped. It would be too bad to stop now."

Thank god her father and him were to busy eyeballing each other, otherwise they would have noticed her self-conciousness. He only said that to flatter Ted, right ? He didn't really think any of that... or did he ?

"You don't have to go so far to do that," Ted retorted coldly.

"It's a great library," he said calmly, "silent, with a lot of books, and it stays open very late at night."

"You could still meet at school."

"The school library is quite disappointing when it comes to its content. And, it does sound like a boook club, but it's not like I'm giving private lessons, so..."

"Ha !" her father cried in a triumphant voice. "So you do admit that theses meetings are not usual."

Lucas seemed to hold back a sigh, then slowly nodded, "Yes, I get that. I know that for a lot of people, it would look weird. But I'm not... I don't have any other intentions with your daughter, and if there's any way to prove it to you... We could meet here, and you could chaperone us ?"

Brooke threw a horrified look at her father, begging him not to accept that. She would have hated to have him on their back all the time, she wasn't a kid anymore !

"Can I trust you ?" Ted asked him, on a suddenly less distant tone.

Lucas raised his eyebrows for a second, apparently unsettled by this question, but kept looking in Ted's eyes. He didn't say anything, at least not out loud, and just kept staring at him with a serious expression on his face. Brooke didn't know why he was not saying anything, or why it didn't seem to bother her dad, and the latter eventually turned to her.

"You have been reading a lot these days. I almost can't hear you anymore at home." he said with a slight smile.

"Yeah, right !" she cried, rolling her eyes, "Don't listen to him Lucas, I'm not such a windbag."

"Please, the whole neighorhood can hear your stories."

She briefly looked at Lucas, who seemed amused by their bickering. Ted glanced at him too, hesitated for a moment, then finally told him, "Alright, you can go ahead with your meetings." Before Brooke, her eyes widening in surprise, could ask him if he was really serious about that, he raised a hand, urging her to let him finish. "But she has to be home before 8pm."

"I swear she won't be late." Lucas told him in a satisfied voice.

He got up, quickly imitated by Brooke and her father. Lucas held out a hand to Ted, who shook it, still keeping a wary look.

"Thanks again."

"If I agree," he explained to them, "it's mainly because you're Karen's son, and I'm counting on you to be as upright as her."

"I hope I am," he replied, shooting a glance at Brooke.

Brooke smiled at her father, then walked Lucas back to his car, after putting on a coat. When they reached the driver's door, she turned to him, her eyes filled with gratitude.

"Thank you for coming, you didn't have to, so... That was very nice of you," she said with a grin. "But won't that make too much work for you now ?"

"Too much work ?"

"Well... Teacher, writer. I heard you're also going to assist the basketball trainings now. Are you sure you'll have enough time to do all that ?"

"I can handle it," he said with a shrug, "that's no big deal. And anyway if I hadn't come to see your father, I would have regretted it."

She wasn't very convinced by that, "We can meet only once a week if you..."

"I'm telling you I don't mind," he said with a charming smile, "so I'm sorry, but you're gonna have to put up with me for the next four months. Twice a week, and it's not up for negotiation."

She couldn't help but grin, feeling relieved all of a sudden.

"I should go, you look like you're freezing to death," he said with a crease on his forehead. "And I should try to write at least a page before tomorrow."

"You didn't get to write anything then ?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Nope," he replied after a moment of hesitation, "I couldn't focus at all... I should be able to, now."

* * *

That's it for chapter 5 ! Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it !

Thanks a lot for your reviews too, and to those who have many questions, don't worry, answers will arrive quite soon. Get ready to meet Victoria, in 5-7 days ;)


	6. Oh, mother of mine

**OH, MOTHER OF MINE**

 **Brooke Davis**

The few clients who had lingered until now left, closing the door behind them after greeting Brooke with waves and smiles. She watched around her, scanning the room to make sure that there was no one left, except for Haley who was sitting across from her.

Since that time at the cafeteria when they had sympathised, three or four weeks ago, they had started talking, whenever they met at school, or even outside of it. Haley regurlarly came to the Café, either to work, or just to kill time, like she had tonight. That suited Brooke perfectly seeing as she often got bored a lot at nights, before closing time, and Haley's presence helped her with not falling asleep on the counter.

Not that she was strained from her work at the Café, but... School, cheerleading, her job and her meetings with Lucas were starting to be a bit too time-consuming. She needed to take a break, but she couldn't get the time to do so. For now, she could keep on with all her activities, but deep down she knew that with that rythm, she would definitely crack some day. But then she didn't want to put an end to any of her activities, each one was important to her.

"You've been reading a lot lately" Haley noticed, glancing at the pile of novels carefullly placed next to Brooke.

"Yes, well I got into it not so long ago..." she said, quickly watching the clock hanging above the front door, "seriously, where the hell is he ?"

"Who ?"

"Nathan" she said, looking at the door, hoping to see him come through it. "He should have got here ten minutes ago. We're eating diner at my place" she added, noticing Haley's lost look, "and he promised to pick me up on time."

But once again, he was late, and she didn't want to wait around much longer.

"Your parents are not home ?"

"My dad is, he's the one who invited him. They get along really well."

"You're lucky." Brooke stopped staring at the door to look at her, wondering what she meant by that. "That your father gets along with him."

"Ah," she said with a smile, "yes, I guess I am. But it took some time to get there, I hadn't even planned on introducing Nathan at first."

Haley didn't seem to understand why, which wasn't suprising; but Brooke couldn't tell her that she didn't want her father to meet her fake boyfriend, so she used another excuse that worked every time.

"My father is over-protective." she said with a sigh. "Any guy who looks at me for more than ten seconds is suspicious to him. So at first, I didn't want to tell him about Nathan."

"How did he find out then ?"

"He saw us at the Café," she explained, remembering that day. "I thought he was going to have a heart attack, you should have seen his face... Too bad I didn't took a picture."

"So then, he went to talk to Nathan and liked him ?"

"Oh no," she corrected her, "he hated him at first, without even knowing him... And now my dad's almost begging me to bring him home more often." she said with a chuckle.

I envy you, you know." Haley said with a longing expression on her face. "A lot."

Brooke, again, didn't know how to interpret that. "About what ?" she asked her, "Nathan ?"

"No," she immediately said, "about the fact that you could convince your father so easily."

"Hey, who said it was easy ? I had to insist for months before he finally gave in and accepted to meet him, and then it was only after a while that they found out they had things in common."

"But you still managed to do it." she insisted. "It's not the first time you impose yourself like that. And I don't mean that in a bad way, I thinks it's quite impressive."

"Really ?" she said, not entirely convinced.

"It happened in class too, several times." Haley added with a shrug. She looked down at the counter, and mechanically started tracing invisible rings on it. "You're lucky to have so much confidence."

Brooke slightly blushed, slowly shook her head. Haley was so wrong about her, she had no idea... "It's not like that, I'm not..." she started saying, embarrassed, before focusing on her, "But why would you envy me for that ?"

"Because that's something I can't do." she said looking up at her. "I come after four brothers and sisters who all made an impression in their own way."

"So... You're always somebody' sister ?" Haley silently nodded. Brooke sighed, resting her heard on her arms crossed on the counter. "Sometimes it feels like everyone who has siblings wants to get rid of them."

"I don't !" she cried, surprising Brooke, "I love them, I do, life would be so boring without them... But I still feel like there's a gap between us."

Brooke furrowed her brow, thinking about what she had just said and comparing it to what she had seen of her in the last four years. She had to admit that for a long period, she hadn't even noticed Haley; the fact that they only had had one common class in the past three years may not be a good excuse, but it was the only on she had to offer. She then remembered asking Peyton one day who was this girl getting all kinds of compliments from their teacher; her friend had replied that it was little James. Brooke had asked for her first name, and had already forgotten it the next morning. Then she realised everyone called her that way, even the teachers.

There was also that one time when she had heard her talk to Lucas, right after his class. He had mentioned her sister and her mood had darkened instantly. Now, she knew why.

She glanced at Haley and straightened her back, giving her a sympathetic smile. "It must not be easy everyday, but..." she said, hesitating. "Have you ever tried asserting yourself ?" Haley seemed taken aback for a short moment, then opened her mouth again, ready to answer, only to freeze when they both heard the doorbell ring. "Finally !" Brooke cried, watching Nathan entering the room and walking toward them.

"I know, I know, I'm late." he said, out of breath. "But training was..."

"Yeah, right, we've heard it all before," she said standing up and taking off her apron. "Thank god Haley stayed with me, otherwise you would have found me dead with boredom."

Nathan rolled his eyes, though obviously amused, then looked at Haley and smiled at her. "It was nice of you to stay."

Haley gave him a quick smile, before shrugging, "I wasn't going to leave her alone." She turned to Brooke, glanced sideways at Nathan then stood up too. "I'll go now," she said a bit awkwardly, "Nathan are we still good for tomorrow ?"

"Sure !" he said with an enthusiasm that Brooke hadn't seen coming. "Your place ?"

She nodded, then turned to Brooke, giving her a bright smile. " Have a good evening."

"Thanks ! Hey, do you want us to drop you off ? It's getting late..."

"Thanks," she said over her shoulder, heading to the door, "but I'm fine, I came by bike."

Brooke waited until Haley had left to look at Nathan, who was still intensely watching the front door, "Are you okay ?" she asked, walking around the counter to stand next to him.

"Yes, perfect." he whispered before watching her, "I'm a little tired. The training..."

"We can still cancel if you want. My father wouldn't mind at all," she said softly.

He grinned, before putting his arm around her shoulders, "Are you crazy, cancelling a night with Ted ? I wouln't miss it for the world."

She quickly went to the kitchen, warning Karen of her leaving, then walked to the door with Nathan. "So I guess the coach was harsh with you again ?" she asked, raising her eyes to his.

"He's turning into a tyrant, but if that makes us win..."

He was about to open the door, but was stopped in his tracks when a client entered at the same time. She smiled when she saw Lucas coming in; she was about to wish him a good evening, but before she could say anything, she felt Nathan's arm tighten around her, and when he sped up, she had to follow him, unable to talk to Lucas, who looked like he wanted to say something too.

"You're dad's been waiting long enough," he murmured, looking down. "No need to waste anymore time."

"It wouldn't have..." she started saying, before changing her mind. "You're probably right."

To think that it would not have been a waste of time was useless; it would only hurt her, nothing else. She had managed to get a grip on herself before that, and before Nathan could get upset over it.

She stayed silent while Nathan was driving, remembering the look Lucas had given her when Nathan and her had passed by him. He had seemed surprised... But there was something else in his eyes, something she couldn't name. She wondered if she was not going nuts and simply making things up, and decided not to think about it anymore.

When they arrived at her place, her father was setting the table. He welcomed them with his usual warm smile, and while they started talking, Brooke went up to her room to put down her bag. When she went down the stairs, she figured she would get bored to death, since she didn't know anything about ice hockey, and was disheartened when she saw that the dinner was ready, the table was set, and all she had to do was to wait until they started eating.

Between two comments on yesterday's game, Brooke noticed her father had layed the table for four people, and wondered if he had made a mistake. Did he think Peyton was coming too ? No, she had clearly told him before going to school that he needed to cook for three. Then who else could it be ? One of his colleagues ?

"Are we expecting someone, dad ?" she asked, interrupting them.

"Yes, but not for long now." he said, glancing at the living room clock.

"Who ?" Nathan asked, curious.

"That's a surprise."

Probably an old friend from college, she dreadfully thought. The last time one of them had come to visit, they had ended up drinking a frightening number of beers on their couch, talking about the good old days and their former girlfriends, including details Brooke would have prefered to ignore for the rest of her life.

"Is it one of your friends ?" she asked him.

"No", he said with a smile, "but it's someone you know."

"Granny ?"

He shook his head; too bad, she hadn't seen her in months.

Brooke didn't like it when her father was being secretive, but she was in no position to criticize him. She knew her father would not say a word on that mysterious guest, no matter how many questions they could ask him.

Someone she knew, but who wasn't one of his friends...

She did have someone in mind, but it was a remote possibility. She was certainly wrong. Although...

She turned to her father, shooting a probing glance at him. He seemed oddly nervous, and even looked away from her, as if fearing her reaction.

For someone who wasn't a believer at all, she suddenly started praying with all her strength, hoping she was wrong.

 **Peyton Sawyer**

"I got it yesterday morning."

She added some dish soap in her sink before getting back to her dishes. Her father's voice was echoing again through the kitchen, her phone put down next to her, away from the water.

"I'll try to come in two months", she heard her father say through the interferences on the line.

"Are you sure you can ?"

"No. That's why I said I would try, Peyton."

She sighed, quietly enough for him not to hear it.

"Is everything alright ?"

She slightly smiled; even hundreds of miles away, she could tell when he was worried about her.

"Yes," she said, getting back to her cleaning, "did I tell you I was part of the cinema club of my school ?"

"No, I didn't know that," he said, sounding surprised. "What are you doing there ?"

"Well, I'm helping them a little... But apart from that, nothing new."

"And your grades ?"

"They're good, I guess."

"You guess, or..."

"I'm sure they're fine. You'll see in two months."

They usually didn't have a lot to say when he called her, like that night. He didn't call her a lot, so one could expect very long conversations when he did, but it was never the case. Her father was not the chatting type; she had gotten used to it, with time. The simple knowledge that he was doing fine was enough for her.

It wasn't like she was always fearing for his safety, but... Sometimes she had trouble falling asleep, wondering if anything had happened to him. She had never entirely gotten used to the lack of news she received, even if she had, very early, accepted his absence. Seeing him every two months had never been an ordeal, especially when her mother had still been here. But after her death, things had changed a bit.

She had started having panick attacks. She would wake up in tears, in the middle of the night, breathless, holding onto her pillow with all her strength. Every single time, before she woke up, she would see her mother go through the red light, crashing into another car at the next turn. She hadn't actually seen it, she had been at school at that time, but her imagination helped her picture it, quite realistically too. Right after her death, she had dreamt about it almost every night, for several weeks and after a while she had managed to calm down, especially with her father's help. But soon after that, her father had left for another naval base, after making sure Ted Davis would look after her.

Her attacks had never completely disappeared, they had simply become less and less frequent. From time to time, she could suddenly feel an opressive anxiety, with no apparent reason. When that happened, she usually called Brooke; she knew exactly what to say, or rather what to do, comforting her in silence with her sheer presence.

She hung up a few minutes later, relaxed. After cleaning up her kitchen and making sure the front door was locked, she went up to her room.

Streched out on her bed, a pencil in her right hand, she scribbled what was going through her mind on her sketchbook. It was only after a few seconds that she realised she was drawing Julian's movie scenes.

They were starting to shoot next week. Peyton kept coming at every rehearsal, and as time went by, Julian asked for her opinion more frequently. Not just on the music, but also on the costumes, the lines, even the camera angles. She didn't know much about all than but even if she kept telling him, he didn't seem to care. One thing was certain, he wasn't a bad person at all. It was really the opposite, and he could be quite funny at times, though often unwittingly. And it wasn't like these sessions were unpleasant; they were a good way to think of something else than class or cheerleading trainings.

Her hand froze when she heard a door slam. She didn't move an inch, listening carefully; when she heard loud footsteps, she jumped from her bed. Wait, she had locked the door, she knew that... Or maybe she hadn't ? What then, a burglar, this early ?

She got herself together, certain that she had locked her door. And there was only one person who had a spare key...

Seconds later, her bedroom door swung open, and as she had rightly guessed, it was Brooke who barged into her room.

"How dare she comes without any warning !" she shouted in fury, walking up and down in front of her. "And she'll do exactly the same when she leaves, it's always like that with her ! And my father, who waits for her like a lamb, it makes me so sick ! I can't do this anymore, I swear I'll..."

She kept reeling off her speech at a frightening speed, too quickly for her to interrupt. Peyton called her name several times, trying to no avail to stop her. In the end, she grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to stay still, and yelled her name trying to calm her down. It happened to be very effective, since Brooke shut up right away, and after bliking with a dumbfounded look, glanced at her feet.

"What the..." Peyton said, completely lost.

She didn't finish her sentence, taken by surprise when Brooke stepped forward to take her in her arms. Her worry increased, and as she put an arm around her friend's shoulders, she finally noticed Nathan was here too, standing by her door. How long had he been there ? She glanced at him, asking him silently what the hell was going on; Nathan only shrugged at her. He seemed as lost and confused as her, perhaps even more worried.

Brooke eventually let her go and took a step back, her eyes still wrathful.

"My mother is here. I haven't seen her, but I know she'll be here soon."

Peyton raised her eyebrows, stunned, and turned to Nathan who once again looked like he had no clue on what was going on. "But then... What are you doing here ?"

"Can I stay here ?" she asked with a hopeful voice. "I can't stay at home tonight, not with..."

"And why not ?" Nathan asked her. Brooke slowly turned to him, taken aback by his question. "What ? It's true," he explained with a shrug, "I get that you don't want to see her, but it's worse if you run away like that."

"I have to agree with him on this," Peyton added, which surprised her friend even more, as she shot her a disappointed look. "You can stay here of course, but you'll have to go home one day or another."

"Or, I can wait until she leaves and then go home." she said on the defensive.

"Like that's gonna work. Ted will come here before that, he knows you're here." Nathan said, "And if he doesn't know it yet, it won't take him long to figure it out."

"Yeah ?" she said with a sarcastic tone, "so what do you suggest, then ?"

"I think you should go home before your mother arrives."

"Well you can keep your advice for yourself !" she shouted angrily.

"But you're the one who asked..." he said, indignant. "Look, I'm just trying to help, no need to be so cranky."

"Help, right..." she said, shaking her head. "All I need is a place to sleep tonight."

Nathan sighed loudly, obviously losing patience. He leaned on the bureau behind him, and gave an exasperated look to Peyton, probably looking for support. "She's your mother, Brooke, not a raving lunatic, she's not gonna attack you. You could at least welcome her."

"You really don't get it," she retorted, "you don't know what it's like to have a parent who comes home every six months, and that's in her good years !"

"You don't want to see her ?" Peyton tried. "Not even a bit ? It's been a long time since..."

"No." she said flatly, then sighed. "Can I stay here, please ? Anyway, I can still find another place to..."

"Yeah, where exactly ?" Nathan asked wryly.

"I don't know, I could ask a cheerleader..."

"You'll need a pretty good excuse to crash at someone's. And 'I don't want see my mom' is not a good one."

"Ha, you think ?" she retorted in the same tone. "Then I can still go at Lucas'."

Nice way to shut him up, Peyton thought. Nathan indeed turned as white as a sheet, watching her with widened and scared eyes. "Please tell me you're kidding."

"This is all ridiculous," Peyton intervened. "When did I say you couldn't stay here ? You're welcomed here, you know that."

Brooke thanked her with a smile, before giving a triumphant look at Nathan. Deep down, Peyton couldn't help but wonder if the best thing to do wasn't to simply talk to her mother now, instead of postponing it.

 **Brooke Davis**

When she woke up the next morning, Brooke remembered her night. After Nathan had left, she had told her friend she was tired and went straight to bed, her stomach empty, but managed to fall asleep only after two hours of intense thinking, in spite of herself.

She heard her stomach grumble, twice in less than a minute. She turned her head, making sure she hadn't woken up Peyton; her friend was still sound asleep next to her. She checked her watch and figured it was way too soon to wake her up; she sneaked out of the bedroom and went downstairs as silently as she could, then went to the kitchen. After a quick breakfast, she left a note on the fridge, explaining that she was going to work and she hadn't wanted to wake her, thanking her again for letting her stay the night.

Brooke technically wasn't on duty this morning, but she knew Karen wouldn't say no to some unpaid help. On her way, she saw that she had a message on her voicemail. It was her father, telling her he had covered her and had said to her mother that she was at a friend's and that he couldn't reach her, but she would be back the next day. He also told her she'd better get her butt over here if she didn't want any trouble. Brooke held back a laugh; she could get any trouble at all, if it meant she didn't have to see her mother, then she would gladly accept it !

Karen was surprised to see her coming in the Café. As she had guessed, she accepted, after a few minutes of hesitation, to let her stay this morning, especially since she had a lot of shopping to do: a supplier had bailed out on her at the last minute. Before rushing out of the place, she asked her to take care of the service while Lucas was in the kitchen.

She went to watch the cash register, keeping an eye for any customer who would come. She had already read five pages of her current book when Lucas came to greet her, just as surprised as his mother to see her here.

"Why aren't you sleeping in, like any other high schooler ?" he asked her with a lopsided smile.

"I was bored," she said with a shrug.

He didn't insist, probably knowing he wouldnt' get any other information from her. She inwardly thanked him for not trying to get more details.

The morning went fine, and she had enough free time to keep reading. When Karen came back, she insisted on staying since there was only one hour left before her service. Her boss accepted, not before repeating that it wasn't normal for her to volunteer so much. From her tone and her worried look, Brooke could tell she knew there was something going on, but like her son, she respected her privacy.

Early afternoon, the doorbell rang again. She looked up from her book and saw that a client had come in, mechanically went back to her book but then realised who it was that had crossed the door.

She closed her book and put it down in front of her, her eyes not leaving her mother. Her father had probably told her she worked here... It couldn't be a mere coincidence, she knew her father was behind this.

Since she had not seen her in almost two years, Brooke couldn't help but scrutinize Victoria as she was walking toward her. Her mother had not changed at all, same eyes, same gait, same haircut... She did look more tired than before. And once she was seated across from her, Brooke noticed she had additional wrinkles.

Her legs crossed, Victoria scanned the room aorund them before locking her gaze on her daughter.

"Where were you last night ?" she asked after a short pause.

She didn't even ask her how she was doing. Two years without seeing her, and she couldn't even get a hello. Maybe she had deserved it by not showing up yesterday night, but it was still the least she could do as a mother, wasn't it ?

"I was at a friend's," she replied in a cold voice. "I didn't hear my phone..."

"Have you ever noticed," she interrupted her, "that when your father lies the left corner of his mouth twitches a bit ?"

"Of course I have. I've been living with him for a while, you know." Victoria ignored her barb, and simply repeated her initial question. "I didn't lie, alright ? I was at a friend's." she said before adding, "But I did see dad's messages."

"Then why didn't you answer ?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Is it also why you refuse to speak to me over the phone ?"

"Nice," she said with a sly grin, "I don't even have to explain myself."

Victoria sighed, nervously tapping the counter with her fingers. "How was I supposed to know you lacked attention ?"

"I think it's called common sense."

Her mother was about to answer, but stopped suddenly, watching over Brooke's shoulder. "Hello." she said with a polite smile.

Brooke turned on her stool and saw Lucas answering her with a polite smile, then turning to her. "Do you know where I can find extra silver foil ? I've been looking for it for ten minutes now."

"In the store room, it's in a cardboard box on the top left, third shelf."

He thanked her, and disappeared in synch with Victoria's sickly-sweet smile. "I'll see you tonight for diner," she said on a tone that left no room for discussion. "We need to talk. That's why I came here, so you'd better come home."

 **Nathan Scott**

"Gosh, Nathan, you've got it all wrong," Haley said with a sigh.

He looked up from his notebook, surprised. He had done these exercises very seriously, though... He hadn't expected a full score, but still, getting every question wrong ?

"Is everything alright ?" she asked, clearly worried. "You're not very focused today."

He sighed too, leaning on the chair he had borrowed. His eyes went to the clock on Haley's room, then turned to her.

"I'm sorry," he said with a meek smile. "I've got problems with Brooke... Well, it's more like _she_ has problems, but... I don't know how to help her."

And yet he had tried to. But she had ignored his advice, judging her own opinion as the right one.

"Is she fine ?" she asked, even more worried now.

"Yes, it's not that big of a deal, but... It pisses me that I can't do anything."

"You know..." she said softly, "if Brooke knows how much you worry for her, I think that's already enough for her."

The worst part was she was completely right; he knew Brooke didn't want him or Peyton to meddle in her troubles. She probably didn't want to bother them with that, and would rather deal with it on her own. But he was her friend, so he couldn't possibly leave her alone, could he ?

"I know," he said, frustrated, "but it's still annoying."

Haley had an odd smile, and stared at him for a while before whispering, "You must love her a lot."

Unsettled, it took him a long moment of hesitation to give a positive answer. She didn't point it out though, and straightened herself on her chair, telling him that they could do another series of exercices and finish earlier if he could really not focus.

Her door opened then, and Mrs James came into her daughter's bedroom, greeting Nathan with a beaming smile.

"Hi Mrs James," he said.

"I've told you already to call me Lydia ! Otherwise I feel so old," she said with a laugh.

"I... I'll try."

"Mom," Haley sighed, "are you interrupting just for fun or do you have a good reason ?" She did have one; she wanted to invite Nathan for diner tonight. "What..." Haley murmured, suddenly blushing, "Mom, please, he's probably got other things to do..." She looked stealthily at him, silently begging him to refuse.

"No," he said with a grin, "I've got nothing tonight, and I'd really like to stay."

Lydia seemed satisfied enough and left her room, promising not to interrupt them again. Haley looked down at her book, avoiding his stare. For a second, he asked himself if he hadn't upset her by accepting an invitation she clearly wanted him to decline.

"You should have said no..." she murmured awkwardly. "She would'nt mind."

"But I really want to stay." She looked up at him, looking skeptical. "What, you really think it would bother me to have diner with your family ?" he asked, furrowing his brow.

"It's just... It's a little weird that we hang out this often." she said with a shrug. "A month ago we barely knew each other."

"If you mind it that much", he said anxiously, "I can still..."

"No," she said, shifting her eyes again. "It's you who should be bothered. What would your friends say, if they knew you were having diner here ?"

Nathan gave a slight sigh, finally getting what was wrong. He put his hand over hers, forcing her to look at him.

"Sure, there's a time when I would have cared, but... I don't anymore." he said with a smile. "I like spending time with you, and it's all that matters."

Haley smiled back at him, apparently relieved, before confusion came back on her face. "But it's also for your grades, right ?"

"Of course !" he said, taking his hand back. "For my grades."

 **Lucas Scott**

"Who was that ?"

Brooke turned around to face him, startled for a second. She then went back to her book, "No one important."

"But do you know her ?" he asked, intrigued.

She nodded in silence, not lifting her face from her book.

Brooke didn't need to add any details, and Lucas ddin't need her to; he knew that woman was her mother, since he had heard a part of their discussion... Well, more like he had listened to it. He was a bit ashamed of it, but at that time, he couldn't had helped it. With a single look he had noticed how uneasy she was around that woman, so he had simply wanted to know more about their bond.

He already knew she didn't get along with her mother, but he didn't think their relationship was that bad. From what she had said, she was often absent, and rarely came home... He wondered how Brooke took her comeback. Probably not very well, from the cold conversation they had had. He didn't dare to ask for more details, though, since she had no idea he knew she was her mother. He'd better leave her alone.

He went back to the kitchen, where his mother asked him, surprised, what he was still doing here.

"You can go, you know," she said with a thankful smile.

"If that's alright with you," he said with a shrug. "Can I stay here to write though ?"

"Sure, suit yourself."

He was about to go back to the main room, but changed his mind, and turned around to his mother, "Hey mom, erm... Do you know Brooke's mother ?"

Karen raised her head to him, "No, I only know Ted. All I know is that she's called Victoria. Oh and has a big job in an international trading company, so she's not here very often. Why do you ask ?"

"I'm just curious. And do you know when was the last time Brooke saw her ?"

"I don't know..." she said with a sigh, thinking about it for a while. "I'd say a year, to the least. Probably two years." Two years without seeing her mother ? No wonder she didn't welcome her with flowers. "It's not easy for Brooke," Karen added, "but she's a strong girl, it probably toughened her up."

"I wonder about that..." he whispered, thoughtful.

"Why not ? Look at you, growing up without Dan wasn't all bad, was it ?"

"Yeah... You must be right."

Deep down, he would have liked to know what their lives with him would have been, since he had been too young to remember their days together, being barely four when Dan had walked out on them. He was proud of his mother, for raising him the way she had, and he respected her everyday for that, but somehow he still wondered if things would have been better with a father. Probably not better, but certainly easier for her. But then, he would have eventually cheated on Karen and run away from them.

But could he really compare his situation with Brooke's ?

Once he was sitting down at a table to write on his usual notebook, he couldn't help but glance at Brooke several times, remembering the conversation she had just had with her mother. She seemed fine now, no sign of a meeting she had dreaded. But was she really fine ?

He pulled himself together, reminding himself that it wasn't any of his business. There was a good reason why she hadn't told him that woman was her mother; he couldn't forget that they had met not so long ago, and he couldn't afford being tactless again, despite his strange desire to know her more, and first and foremost, to understand her.

 **Brooke Davis**

She finally gave in; after ten good minutes of fighting with Karen to stay until closing time, she resigned herself to go home sooner than she had wished.

She walked back home as slowly as she could, making every single detour possible. When she reached her frontdoor, it was already 6pm; her father would soon be home too. She thought for a moment to wait for him and hang around the neighborhood, not wanting to be alone with Victoria. But then she remembered what Nathan had told her the day before, and had to admit he was right. It was better to put up with her while she was here, than avoid her. .

Victoria wasn't in the living room. After checking every room, she was certain that her mother was not downstairs. Relieved, she went up to her bedroom, put down her bag and coat, picked up the book she was reading and went to the living room. She stopped though, before reaching the stairs, when she noticed that her father's... No, her parents' bedroom door was half-open. She hesitated, then quietly walked to it, and peeked into the room. Her mother was there indeed, sitting on her bed. She had a sort of big book in her hands that she was reading with a lot of attention. Brooke thought it was better not to disturb her and went downstairs for her own reading.

After about twenty pages, her father finally came home and seemed relieved to see her lying on their couch. When she saw him, she stood up, suddenly feeling guilty when she realised how worried he must have been when she had stormed out, even if he had probably quickly figured she was at Peyton's. She knew then that coming back had been the right thing to do, if only to reassure him.

"Did you talk to her ?" he asked her after a peck on her cheek.

"We talked at the Café."

That seemed to lift his spirits, "It's great that you make an effort," he told her, planting a kiss on the top of her head.

She watched him as he left to go in his office. How could he not see that she shouldn't have to make an effort here; Victoria, yes, but not her, she hadn't done anything wrong. Was coming to the Café considered as an effort from her ? Well, not from Brooke's perspective.

Her mother walked down the stairs, and seemed surprised to see her sitting on the couch.

"When did you come home ?" she asked her, eyebrows raised.

"An hour ago," Brooke mumbled, taking her book back.

"And why didn't you say so ?"

"I thought you heard me when I came in." she said with a shrug

"Ah..." she whispered, sitting on the arm of the couch, "I was too focused to hear you, I guess." Was she talking about that book ? Brooke felt the urge to ask her, but quickly decided not to. "Well, now we can talk."

Brooke sighed, closed her book and looked at her mother, "Talk about what ?"

"I'll be back in a second."

She stood up and came back a few seconds later with a glass of wine in her hand. She sat opposite her on an armchair, and picked up where she had left.

"Have you thought of your future ?"

"My... what ?" Brooke said, taken aback. Why was she asking her that ?

"Your future" she repeated, "you're already a senior, and next year you'll be an adult. Surely you have a plan for the years to come."

"I'm staying in North Carolina, I'm going to college."

Victoria took a sip of her drink, her eyes fixed on her daughter, "So that's what you want, community college ?"

Brooke raised her eyebrows, taken aback by this sudden development; her mother, who had never been more absent in her life than in the past two years, wanted to talk about her future ? "I just don't see what else I could do."

"You can do more than that."

"Like what ?"

"Business. I know a very good school, that's where I went myself. I've already talked to the chairman, I know him very well, and with your file and my contacts, getting in will be childplay."

"Wait a sec.."

"I brought you the application file," she said, not listening, "all you have to do is fill it up. The school is a bit far from here, in New York, but you'll..."

"Wait !" she cried. "When did I say that's what I want to do ?"

"Would you hate it ?"

Confused, Brooke didn't know what to say. How was she supposed to know whether she'd like it or not, before trying it ? "It never crossed my mind," she said, unsure of the right answer.

"Then... Is there something you'd like to do ? Something else, apart from community college ?"

Brooke lowered her eyes, bitting on her lower lip to stay silent. There was something indeed, but it was so recent and it sounded so absurd... She wasn't even sure of herself, so how could she convince her mother ? There was one person, though, she could talk to, but... She didn't know if Lucas would take her seriously on that. She never would have had that idea without him, but...

"So it's settled then !" Victoria said, pulling her from her thoughts. "Now all you have to do is write a cover letter."

 **Peyton Sawyer**

She stealthily looked at Julian, standing at the end of the corridor, talking to his father over the phone. She had heard a glimpse of their conversation and knew his father wanted to know where he was.

They were supposed to find musics for the movie. Peyton had wanted to do it alone, but he had insisted on helping her, stating that he wanted to be involved in every part of his movie. So, he had come over at the beginning of the afternoon, willing to help... In the end, they hadn't found anything, and had kept talking. They did have the habit of talking too much when they were alone in the same room. Not that she didn't like it, but one thing was certain, it considerably slowed them in their task.

The real problem was that she would have prefered to see Brooke, to make sure she was fine. She had texted her this morning, after waking up, and Brooke had replied saying she was working all day, and she'd rather stay alone. Since then, no news from her. She was probably home already, otherwise she knew Ted would have already called her to know where his daughter was.

"Peyton ?"

She raised her head and saw that Julian was done with his phone call, and that he was now sitting next to her on her bed.

"You look like you're miles away," he said with a grin.

"I know... Sorry, I just have some stuff going on."

"Oh. Can I help ?"

"Thanks," she said, genuinely touched "but you can't do anything... Hey, do you get along with your parents ?"

Julian seemed surprised by her question, but answered nonetheless, "It could be worse." he said with a shrug. "Is there a problem with your dad ? Is he alright ?"

"Yeah, he's fine..." she said, hesitating a bit. "Well, it's not me who's having troubles, it's Brooke."

"Oh," he simply said.

"I wish I could help, but I can't do anything until she comes on her own." she sighed.

"So why don't you go and..."

"That's not how it works." she said with a slight smile. "She tends to withdraw into herself when we try to help her, so it's best to simply wait for her to ask for help. She's ..."

"Like a chinchilla."

She turned to him, frowning, "Are you comparing my best friend to a rodent ?"

"But they're really like that," he immediately said. "I had one when I was a kid, a domestic one, and it took months for him to accept being held. He had to come to us first, not the other way around." Peyton couldn't help but giggle at that, "What, I'm serious you know. They can be very shy."

"Alright," she said, holding back another laugh, "I'll tell her you think she's like a rodent then."

"Please, don't." he said very seriously, probably knowing that Brooke wouldn't take it very well. He looked at her for a moment, before saying in a soft tone, "She's really lucky to have you."

Peyton noticed that these simple words comforted her in an instant, "No" she said, shaking her head, "I'm the lucky one here. Without her and her father, I don't know where I would be today... You're lucky you get along with your parents," she added with a smile.

"Yeah." he said, his face suddenly gloomy.

Peyton frowned, wondering why his mood had suddenly changed. She decided not to point it out though, and for the first time, thought that in some ways he was a lot like Brooke.

 **Lucas Scott**

He poured himself another cup of coffe and walked through the house, went to his bedroom and then outside, sitting down on the stoop, his laptop on his knees.

The air was pleasant outside; the weather had warmed up almost too quickly but at least, he could write on his front steps, as he had done a lot for his first book.

He took a sip of coffee, essential to keep him awake at almost 1 am. He knew very well that he shouldn't waste his hours of sleep, but he wanted this chapter to be finished by tomorrow, or else he would feel bad for making Lindsay wait so long.

He read the last ligns he had written, satisfied of his work. He had progressed a lot these last weeks, and even if he knew several proofreadings would be needed, he knew he would finish on time. There was one thing he was missing, though : a title. He had it on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't name it. He had to find it, it would have been too bad to get stuck at this stage while every thing else had been so easy so far.

When he heard a noise, he looked up from his computer and saw a shadow running just across the street. Bewildered, he wondered who in the world could be running at this time.

And then he recognised her, and instantly got up.

He pondered on catching up to her, because he had no specific reason to do so... Except maybe asking her what she was doing here so late. Before he could even make up his mind, his feet started moving in her direction; he had to know what got into her that she would be out, jogging at 1 am.

He quickly put his computer back in his room and then ran to find her. He noticed she couldn't be seen anymore; he cursed, then figured he could just run in that same direction, he would eventually see her. She couldn't have gone that far in such a short time.

And indeed, a few meters and a turn later, she was back in his field of vision.

"Brooke !" he called out, remembering a little too late that normal people were asleep.

She turned around, froze for a second, probably surprised to see him, then started running again, twice as fast.

He didn't hesitate at all this time, he was going to get to her, whether she liked it or not. It was dangerous for her, right ? As a teacher, he had to go and see her, and...

Ah, it wasn't just that, he knew it perfectly well.

He had gotten attached to her over the past weeks, so of course seeing her running in the middle of the night worried him. Was it a habit of hers, or was it just for tonight ?

Though he was a little rusty after all these years without intensive training, he quickly caught up with her. Her head down, she tried to speed up again, but he beat her to it and grabbed her arm, putting an end to her race.

Both of them out of breath, he let go of her arm after a few seconds. She turned away from him, stubbornly staring at the ground. That's when he noticed she was shivering, and probably not from the cold with the way she had been running.

"Are you crying ?" he murmured, confused.

"No," she said right away, though wiping her eyes from the back of her hand.

She still refused to look at him, and he had no idea what to do. He hadn't thought she was crying, or even upset at all.

"This is probably none of my business," he said after a long pause, "but you shouldn't be running at this hour, it's way too dangerous."

"I just needed some fresh air," she said, her voice cracking with the last syllables.

A second later, she burst into tears in front of him, burrying her face in her palms.

She truly knew how to unsettle him. He looked around, as if some miraculous help would appear out of nowhere, and realised he was the only one who could help her. So he did the only thing he could do in this situation. He put his arms around her, holding her against him. He stayed silent, refusing to tell her everything would be alright when he had no idea what was actually going on.

He got a little surprised when she hugged him back, but somehow was also relieved.

Her sobs stopped after some time, seconds, maybe minutes; she stepped back from him, sniffing, and thanked him with a quiet voice, a voice he had never heard from her... And that he didn't want to hear again.

"Are you going home ?" he asked her, thinking of walking her back.

"No," she murmured, raising her wet eyes at him, "I'll walk a bit."

A bit ? What did that mean ? Minutes ? An hour ? More ?

"Can I stay with you ?"

"If you want to." she said with a shrug.

He walked next to her in silence. Not an awkward silence, it was quite the opposite. For someone who could usually handle words perfectly, he had absolutely no idea on what to say now. She thankfully helped, breaking their silence.

"Did Karen tell you why I work at the Café ?"

He didn't know where this was coming from at all, but still answered, shaking his head, "No."

"It's kind of funny actually. I was going home from a party with Peyton, we were in her car and we had a few drinks. Peyton could still drive of course, but she was driving a bit too fast."

"Did you get into an accident ?"

"Sort of. We passed by cops. Before they reached our car, we managed to exchange our seats."

"Why ? If she could drive..."

"Because if her father knew she was driving at 100 km in town, at night, after going to a party that had alcohol, he would have immediately taken her car back. So I took the blame, since I don't own a car."

"So what did the police say ? They let you off ?"

"With a fine. When my father heard about it, he said I had to pay for it." she said, smiling for the first time. "Peyton wanted to work for me, but my dad would have found out."

"So that's when you started working at the Café ?"

"Yup. My dad talked to one of his friends who was looking for a waitress... Your mother. I had to work three nights a week for three months to get the money. Peyton had already paid the fine, but I still had to do the working if I didn't want my father to know what was going on."

Lucas stopped for a second, thoughtful, "But why did you lie to him ? I don't know him much, but it seems to me that if you had told him..."

"You're right," her smile widened, " he would have believed me, but he still would have told Peyton's father. And anyway I wanted to work a little, try something new. And now it's been almost two years, and I don't regret it. I..." For some reason she stopped there; he turned to her, giving her a quizzical look. "It was the first time I was doing something by pure interest. No one was expecting me to work there, but I wanted to."

He finally understood why she was talking about this. "Do you know what you want to do after graduation ?"

She sighed, making him think he had guessed wrong. "My mother wants me to study business, like she did."

"But what do _you_ want ?"

It took him a few steps to notice she had stopped. He turned around to her, and saw her crossing her arms against her, an embarrassed look on her face.

"I might have an idea, but..."

"But what ?" he asked her when she didn't finish her sentence.

She looked down at her feet, fidgeting. Why was she hesitating so much ? "It's just an idea I've had, but not for long, and... It may sound a little crazy."

"I won't make fun of you, I swear."

She had a hint of a smile, but still didn't look very convinced. "Fine. Lately I've realised I really like bo – clothes."

"Clothes ? You mean fashion design ?"

"Erm... Yeah." she said, stepping back, "I know, it sounds stupid, I can't..."

Lucas watched her take another step back, then walked to her.

"I wonder why you're so insecure." he said with a sigh.

She raised her eyebrows, surprised. "And I wonder how you do to know that."

"Know what ?"

"You've known since you arrived that I don't have enough self-confidence. It's what Peyton tells me all the time, but I try not to show it, and it works. Even Haley told me yesterday..." she said before interrupting herself, shaking her head in dismay. "But you, you..."

"Well, it just seems pretty obvious to me," he said with a shrug.

Her eyes widened; why did she suddenly look so anxious ? Was it something he had said ? "So it's the first thing pepole think when they see me ?" she asked with a trace of indignation.

"No !" he cried right away, "It's not like that..."

"Then what ? What was the first thing you thought of me, if it wasn't that ? What was even more obvious than my apparently missing confidence ?"

"I... I don't know." he said, embarrassed, remembering that day when he had entered the Café after so many years, and when he had seen her for the first time, reading his book behind the counter. It was only after a few minutes that he had realised she was the student his mother kept telling him about. In the first moments he had seen her, he had not understood she was going to be one of his students, he had not thought of her as a student... "I'd rather not answer this."

"It's okay," she said with a shrug, "you can say whatever you want, I won't get mad. Well, I'll try to."

He nervously looked at her, wondering if he could get away from this. "That's not the problem here, you won't get mad."

"Then what is the problem ?"

He sighed ,a little exasperated. Apparently, she would not let go until he spit it out. "The problem," he said reluctantly, his eyes running away from her stare, "is that I could be forbidden to teach if I told you what I first thought of you."

 _Voilà_ , the truth was out now. Well, it was only implied. He watched out for her reaction, hoping she wouldn't think of him as an old perve now.

She didn't seem disgusted by him at all. Her cheeks were crimson, and despite the darkness surrounding them, he could see her embarrassment. He even felt awkward himself, wondering what had gone through his mind to admit something so stupid, albeit true.

"I... I should go home," she stammered.

He walked her to her house, this time none of them breaking their silence. They stopped once they were in front of her house, and he bid her goodbye. She nodded, walked to her door... And then turned around and strode to him.

"Thanks for everything." she said quietly.

"I didn't do anything."

"Precisely," she retorted with a lopsided smile.

She seemed to hesitate, then took two steps forward and, standing on tip-toe, kissed him on the cheek before greeting him a good night and rushing back to her house.

Once she had gone in, he turned around, suddenly not in a hurry to get home.

Well, writing outside had not been a bad idea at all. At least it had made him realise something.

He had ceased to see Brooke as a simple student, or a waitress at his mother's Café; he saw her, just like when he had first seen her, as a woman.

* * *

Well, I hope you enjoyed this one. Thank you for the reviews and the PMs, getting your opinion is truly great, and helps too, because even though the chapters are already written in french, when I translate them sometimes I change a few details... And I'm kind of glad you have so many questions, I guess it means this story's interesting enough ^^

As usual, next chapter will be up in 5-7 days. It's Dan's turn to show up ;)


	7. Que sera, sera

**QUE SERA, SERA (WHATEVER WILL BE, WILL BE)**

 **Nathan Scott**

He looked at his watch : he had been running for thirty minutes now. Since long ago, Sunday morning jogging had been a habit. Initially forced by his father, he had quickly felt the need to run away from his house, partly not to have to put up with Dan first thing in the morning. In order to get some company, he often invited Brooke to come with him, like he had this morning.

When he had heard her voice over the phone, he had first thought she would decline his invitation, though she seldom did that. She had still accepted, even if he had been convinced that she would have rather stayed home. Brooke could have said no to him, he wouldn't have minded, and she knew that very well which meant she had an excellent reason to get out of her house, and somehow, he knew it had to do with Mrs Davis' return. That was why he had carefully avoided that subject for the past half an hour they had spent together.

Well, saying they had been together was a bit of a stretch He glanced over his shoulder for the tenth time, keeping on with his jog, and saw that she was still there, several meters behind him, struggling to keep up with his pace.

"What's up Davis ?" he said playfully. "You're even slower than ususal !"

She looked offended, then sped up a bit, "Enjoy it while you can !" she retorted loudly. "If I get to you, I'll tear your guts out !"

He laughed loudly enough for her to hear. No, she was definitely not catching up with him. He took a turn, running into the city park, peacefully running, Brooke still way behind him.

"You know what ?" he told her after a few seconds. "If you get to the exit before me, next lunch is on me !"

Laughing again, he turned around to see her reaction, and was surprised to see her much closer than before, clawing back meters with every second. At this rate, she was really going to win their race.

He decided not to stupidly underestimate her and started running at a faster pace, one she wouldn't be able to outdo. After a distance he assumed as safe, he turned around again, wondering where she was; he saw that, oddly enough, she was way farther than before, and was now almost walking. He slowed down, then stopped, intrigued, and saw her stagger, her face suddenly pallid.

Nathan had quite an acute reaction time, particularly thanks to the intensive trainings his father had made him go through; he could speed up at the exact right moment to cross a long distance, and catch a ball before it reached the ground.

Well, in this case, Brooke was the basketball, and the distance he had to cover was the one separating her from him.

He arrived just in time, and took her in his arms before she fell to the ground. How had he managed to not notice how pale she was ? He carried her to the neighboring grass, having her sit down and giving her his bottle of water.

To his relief, she was conscious. Weak, definitely, but her eyes were open. She took a good draft of water, then gave him back his bottle.

"What's wrong ? What happened ?" he asked her, his worry growing by the second.

"Nothing," she said breathless, her voice just a murmur. "I was just thirsty."

She didn't even have any strenght left to force a smile. Clearly, she was not fine. "Did you eat properly this morning ?"

Brooke raised her eyebrows for a nanosecond, long enough for Nathan to notice it, then lowered her eyes to her feet.

He sighed, wondering what had gone through her mind to go on a jogging with an empty stomach. Crouched next to her, he spinned around, his back facing her, and glanced at her over his shoulder.

"Come on, hop on."

She seemed surprised, then slowly shook her head. "I can still walk."

"Yeah, and then you'll drop to the floor in a minute", he retorted sharply. "Come on, I'll carry you."

He wasn't leaving her any choice, and she seemed to that figure out quickly, for she moved to be right behind him, circling his neck with her arms.

He got up, holding her legs steadily to make sure she would really not fall, and left the park under the curious looks of passers-by. Nathan hesitated for a moment, then decided to stop by the Café. If she had not regained a minimum of colours by the time he would bring her home, Ted would probably rip out his teeth one by one. When she understood where they were heading to, she begged him to turn around and bring her home, but he ignored her pleas. He cared about his teeth.

He let her down only after they had entered the Café. Brooke sat at the nearest table, but instantly got up from her seat, stating she was feeling fine. However, once again, she staggered and grabbed the table to stabilize herself.

"Stay put", he said in a firm tone. "I'll be right back, you better not move from a single inch."

Brooke made a face, then nodded reluctantly. Satisfied by that, he made a U-turn and went behind the counter, surprised to see that no one was there. His mother was only working in the afternoon, so it was probably Karen in the kitchen.

He had guessed right. Karen was busy on her countertop when he came in. She looked up at him, and smiled upon seeing him; he probably looked awfully concerned, since her smile rapidly wore off.

"Brooke fainted," he quickly said, "well, almost fainted. We were running and..."

"Is she alright ?" she asked, striding towards him.

"Yes, yes don't worry she's fine," he said, "I just wanted to know if I could get her some stuff to eat, I'll pay you back in the afternoon."

"Of course you can !" she cried, her concern not fading away. "Take anything you need."

"Great, thanks !" he said with a thankful smile.

He was about to go back to Brooke, when Karen called out to him. "Don't let her leave before I see her," she said with a frown, "I'll get done with this and then I'll come, alright ?"

"Sure."

Brooke was really lucky to be so well looked after : her father, Peyton, Karen... She probably didn't eve, realise it, but most of the people she met ended up hopelessly getting attached to her. Heck, even he had been a victim of the Brooke Reaction. Which was why the fact that her very own mother didn't care about her sounded so weird to him.

When he went back to the main room, he noticed that the cash register was still unsupervised. Mechanically, his eyes went to Brooke, making sure she had listened to him and not moved. He knew for a fact that she wouldn't have dared to disobey him. However, he hadn't expected to see someone else next to her in such a short amount of time.

Nathan fixed his gaze on his half-brother, the crease he had on his forehead getting deeper and deeper. He first wondered what he was doing there, then remembered the abandoned register, and quickly got the picture.

But what was he doing _with her_ ?

The last real conversation they had had flashed in his mind, when he had clearly told him that he was not getting any revenge of any kind, and that even if he was, he would never go through Brooke to do so. Well then, what was he doing here, crouched down next to her, looking so worried for her ? He could understand that as a teacher, he could worry for his studens, but Nathan wasn't blind. This anxiety that was painted on his face, it wasn't just a teacher's.

 **Lucas Scott**

He couldn't even tell anymore what had brought him in the storage room; once he had gone back to the main room, it took him seconds to see that Brooke was here, sitting alone at a table near the front door, and had just as quickly noticed how very pale she looked. Straight after, he had run to her. Probably a tad too quickly.

He had only had the time to ask her if she was fine, and before she could tell him that she was, even though he could see that she obvisouly wasn't, Nathan had appeared out of nowhere, coldly asking him to attend to his business. And to bring them some food.

Lucas had of course complied, and then went back to his other clients. However, once he was done with them, instead of going on with his writing, he spent the following minutes looking at the couple out of the corner of his eye. He docilely waited until she looked a bit better while Nathan was talking to her, nervously tapping on the counter, wondering what could have happened to her.

Of course, he quickly remembered the night before; he had seen Brooke runnning outside in the middle of the night, and from what he had understood, she had troubles with her mother's being in town. It was very likely that her mother was again involved in her current state, but how could he know for sure ?

After a while, his patience wore off despite himself, and he hurriedly went back to her.

"Brooke ?" Nathan and her looked up at him in synch; while he seemed pretty aggressive, she looked rather surprised."Can I talk to you for a moment ?" he asked her, avoiding Nathan's death stare. "In the kitchen ?"

She raised an eyebrow, probably wondering where that came from, but still nodded and got up, under Nathan's suspicious eyes.

He walked behind her, crossing the room; before she could enter the kitchen, and once he knew they were shielded from anyone's eyes, he put a hand on her shoudter. She turned around to face him, and he gestured her to follow him in the storage room. She seemed confused, but obeyed nonetheless.

"What are you up to ?" she asked, following him inside, then closing the door behind her.

She looked even more suspicious than Nathan, which made him smile for a short moment. "Sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you, I just wanted to talk to you... privately." he explained.

She stepped back, leaning on the door, "Oh."

"So... Why did you fall ?"

"Almost fell." she corrected with a slight smile. She noticed that it didn't amuse him, so went on with her explanation : "I was a little tired this morning." she casually said.

"So why did you go for a run then ?" he asked, furrowing his brow. "You went for one not so long ago, didn't you ?"

"I... I just..." she stuttered, unsettled, "I just wanted to go out for a moment." she said with a shrug.

"You could have just walked." More like she should have, but it wasn't his place to tell her what to do.

"Maybe, yeah." she said with a hint of exaperation. "So, can I go back now ? Is your interrogation over ?"

"It's not an interrogation !" he said, defending himself. "I'm just worried, that's all."

"Well you can stop." she said, crossing her arms against her.

Like that was so easy to do. How was he supposed to do that after last night ? "It's you fault too !" he cried, surprising them both. "I mean..." he continued, suddenly having the feeling that he'd better shut up now, "if I hadn't seen you in tears yesterday..."

She immediately blushed, probably as a result of both embarrassment and anger combined. "That's why..." she muttered, angrily shaking her head. "That's why I don't talk about these things, I knew you would be like that..." She spinned around, hand on the door knob, ready to storm off.

"Is it about your mom ?" he asked in an attempt to hold her back. "Are things getting better with her ?"

He saw her hand slightly shake; then she faced him again, "She's only been here for a day," she said with a shrug.

So, that meant no change at all since yesterday. Did that mean that... "Is that why you went running this morning too ? To... avoid her ?" he asked in a soft tone, taking two steps toward her, though he already knew her answer.

"Look, I... I just wasn't very hungry this morning, I know that was stupid." she murmured, her eyes drifting to the floor.

"You can't do that, Brooke." he said, remembering vividly the few minutes she had spent sobbing in his arms, feeling a sudden pang of emotion he couldn't fully understand. "You can't do that again, or else..." He stopped, having no clue on how to finish his sentence. Once again, he wondered how, as a writer, he could be at a loss of words when it came to her.

"Or else what ?" she asked, stunned, her sheepish look suddenly turning into a scowl.

"I..." he hesitated. "As your teacher, I would have to tell your parents."

He shouldn't have said that, he knew it. He knew it before he even finished his sentence. Without any surprise, he saw her losing her temper, her face livid, glowering at him. He had not expected her, though, to shove him with surprisingly a lot of strength, making him crash against the shelves behind him. "Mind your own business !" she shouted, her face turning red. "Tell me Lucas, as a teacher," she said, emphasising on the last three words with great irony, "are you supposed to hug your students ? Or is that my fault too ? One day you're a teacher, the next you're a friend... Just make up your mind already !"

She didn't leave him any time to react, turned around and slammed the door as she left.

Lucas gazed at the door, flustered. He hadn't thought she would get that mad. Had he gone too far ? No, not really, he was a teacher after all, and he had to act like one, even with her. But she was essentially right. It was now urgent for him to figure out what attitude to have around her, before he lost his head.

 **Brooke Davis**

They didn't stay that long in the Café. When she had gone back to her seat, Nathan had noticed her obvious anger, and had had enough good sense not to ask anything. She had eaten a bit, and they had left only after Karen had come to talk to her. A wave of guilt had hit her, when she had seen how concerned her boss was about her, and once she had convinced her that she was simply a little tired, they were good to go.

When she reached her front door, Brooke turned to Nathan, who had walked her back despite her protests.

"Now, you can go."

"Call me if something's wrong ?" he said with a frown.

"Sure. Thanks again, you're a love," she said while he hugged her.

"I know."

She sighed, then broke their embrace, smiling at him with gratitude. She told him one last time that he could go, and opened her door.

At this time, her father had probably just emerged from his sleep. Her mother was already up, since Brooke had caught a glimpse of her through the kitchen door this morning; she had then quickly gone back to her room, refusing to talk to her. Nathan's phone call had thus been an excellent excuse to go out and avoid facing her mother, so she had accepted his offer to run with him, even if she was still exhausted from last night. As long as she could get far from her house, and from Victoria, she was ready to do anything. Even if that meant skipping her breakfast since her mother was occupying the kitchen.

She wasn't in the kitchen when she came back, but in the living room, sitting on the couch, a cup of coffee in one hand, as she was watching a news channel.

Brooke had planned not to greet her, talk to her, or even enter the room; she'd rather directly go up in her room to take a shower, but her mother prevented her from doing all that when she looked at her over shoulder.

"Who was that boy ?"

She looked back at the television, probably waiting for a reply. Brooke knew that even if she didn't want to tell her, her father would spill the beans. "Nathan."

"Ah, so he's the famous boyfriend... You should have let him come in, I'd like to meet him."

Brooke came in and walked around the couch to face her mother. "And why ?" she asked, not hiding her sarcasm. "You'll forget him in a few days !"

Victoria seemed puzzled for a moment, then finally looked at her daughter. "Why do you think so ?"

"Seriously !?" she cried, offended. "Am I the only one in this house who remembers the last years ?"

She could have ranted on for several long minutes, but she heard footsteps from the stairs, and knew her father was coming down; she stayed silent, since she wanted to make no waves when he was around.

"Hi dad," she quietly said when he reached her.

"Did you beat Nathan this time ?" he asked with a smile, tousling her hair.

"Crushed him. He says hi."

His smile broadened and after he swiftly kissed his wife, went to the kitchen to eat. Once again on their own, Victoria stared at her, deep in her thoughts, and eventually asked her a question that took her aback.

"Why don't you invite him for diner tonight ?"

"What ?" she said, dumbfounded.

"We were already supposed to eat with him on Friday, but since you weren't there..." she explained, shrugging. Like it was the most natural thing for her to eat with Nathan.

"Please tell me you're..." she started saying, her anger rising up again.

She got interrupted by her father, again, who had heard them and cried to them, from the kitchen : "That's a great idea ! Tell him to come tonight !"

"But dad, that's a little last minute... I'm sure he's got plans." she told him, hoping to make him change his mind.

"Just try !"

"I... Oh, fine, I'll tell him !" she sighed, exasperated.

She glanced one last time at her mother, wondering once more why she was acting that way. Why did she give the impression that she cared for her, when Brooke had lost all hope about that ever happening a long time ago.

After she took her shower, she told her father she was going to see Peyton; she had just remembered that she hadn't called her since yesterday morning, and her friend was probably worried to death.

It took her five minutes to reach her friend's house. She took out the spare key she had been given long ago, knocked on the front door then opened it, even if she knew that Peyton was probably upstairs and would not hear a knock. Brooke went in with the intention to catch her by surprise, quietly climbed up the first steps leading to her bedroom, but froze when she heard noise coming =from downstairs, most probably from the kitchen. Well, apparently Peyton was already up.

She tiptoed to the kitchen's door, and partially opened it, taking a peek inside to see what she was up to. Scrambled eggs, fron the delicious smell that was coming to her nostrils. But it wasn't Peyton who was cooking.

It was a boy their age, in jeans and t-shirt he had probably worn yesterday from the way they were crumpled, his hair disheveled. A boy Brooke had been wary of since the first time she had seen him; well, more like the first time she had talked to him.

"How did you get in ?"

Julian jumped in fright and turned to her, and after only a few seconds regained his composure. With the wooden spoon he was holding in his left hand, he pointed at a window across the room.

"There." he said with a teasing smile. "I broke in through the window. Oh, and then I fixed it."

"Give me a break Julian, I'm not in the mood," she said, walking in.

He put his spoon down, and suddenly his smile became friendlier. "I slept on the couch," he said, as if trying to reassure her. "You want some eggs ?"

She sat down at the table, her eyes fixed on him. "And Peyton ? Where is she ?"

"Taking her shower."

Did they... No, they couldn't have... She knew Peyton liked him, but she didn't think she liked him that much. "What exactly to you want ?" she asked him, with her most serious look.

"I'm looking for the salt," he said with a sigh, "but I don't know where..."

"Cut the crap !" she cried, annoyed by his foolishness.

The smile that had been plastered on his face since she'd arrived slowly disappeared, and for the first time, it seemed like he was finally being serious. "Why are you so suspicious of me ?" he asked her, in a sudden sad voice.

Did he really need to ask ? The answer seemed pretty obvious to her, but she still took the time to explain it to him : "Would you trust someone who blackmails you ?"

"When did I ever blackmail you ?"

"Are you kidding me ?"

"No."

Julian turned off the the induction plate on which his eggs were heating up, and came to sit across her, holding her gaze. He looked so serious, that for a second she wondered if he was not just an idiot.

"Fine, let's say it wasn't blackmail." she said, trying to remain calm. "If you say so. Then why would you do such a thing ? Why would you ask Peyton to work with you ?"

"I needed someone for the music."

"I know you're lying !" she shouted at him, taking him aback. "What music... You call her for absolutely anything !"

He raised his eyebrows, all of a sudden fearful. "Did she complain about it ?"

"Erm... No, but", she said while he looked very relieved to hear that, "you still haven't answered my question."

He looked embarrassed, looking down at his intertwined hands. "Do I have to answer ?"

"If you don't, I'll harrass you until the end of time"

She wasn't even kidding. She was ready to do anything, if it could get her a honest answer from him. He looked up at her, just as a prey facing its hunter, and hesitated for several long seconds. "I already noticed her, a long time ago. Hearing your talk about Nathan was just pure luck, and I figured I could take advantage of it. I had to."

"What are you talking about ?" He lowered his eyes again, his cheeks slightly pink... And then she understood. All her anger that had been piling up with her encounters with Lucas, Victoria, and Julian himself melted in a second. "Promise me you're not lying." she murmured with a much softer voice.

She didn't believe in most promises, but something, a hunch maybe, told her that he hadn't been lying so far, and was not about to start now.

He simply stared at her, an earnest look on his face. "I'm not, I swear. Don't take this the wrong way, but I honestly couldn't care less about yours and Nathans problems. But when I heard you both in the library, and when I saw you panic, I thought... It could be a good way to approach her."

"You better not hurt her... If you do, I won't let you get away with it."

He stayed silent for a moment, then smiled at her, comfortably leaning on his chair. "She's lucky to have you."

"It's a two way thing." she replied, grinning back at him.

"Yeah, I thought so." He hesitated a bit, "You'll keep that to yourself, right ? Everything I just said ?"

Lucky for her, Peyton interrupted them right on time, appearing behind them, a towel around her hair. If there was one reason why Brooke didn't believe in promises, it was because she knew how hard it was to keep them; and she didn't want to tell Julian she wouldn't say a word, when she knew perfectly well that she would, one day or another, spill the beans to her best friend. It was bound to happen some day, but she would make sure that this day would come as far as possible.

"Brooke ?" she said, surprised to see her here. "Erm... Julian slept on the couch, we were talking yesterday night and it was late so..."

"It's alright, I already told her everything," Julian interrupted her. "And I think she got it, right ?"

"Yup," Brooke said, nodding, "loud and clear."

 **Nathan Scott**

Another shot, only one, and he would win this game, offering him the chance to crush his adversary whom he didn't know at all, but already hated for the last three victories that he had robbed him of. He did admire him a bit, wondering how he had managed to get to such a level. Well, he probably spent all his time on his video games, and probably sucked in real life basket ball.

He heard his doorbell ring, but didn't move from his couch. He just needed a shot, just one single...

Again, the ringing echoed in his house.

He cursed under his breath, then shouted at his father to come and get the door already, and when he understood that Dan would not lift a finger, he paused his online game and went to that damn door. If it was one of those travelling salesman trying to sell him a vacuum, he would probably end up throwing it to his face.

"Brooke ?" He had not expected to see her so soon after this morning. And she usually always warned him before coming... "What are you doing here ?" he asked, trying not to sound too worried.

"I'm here to invite you for dinner." she said with a shrug.

He didn't know what that meant, but told her to come in. He hurried back to the living room, wanting to finish his game, since he could easily listen to her and play at the same time, but saw that his adversary had left the game.

"Great, that way he gets out of it with stats ruining mine !" he cried, annoyed. He threw his gamepad at the other side of the couch then turned to Brooke, who looked very perplexed. "I was playing online," he explained with a frown.

"Oh... And you were losing ?" she asked with a lopsided smile.

"Do you want me to throw you out ?"

She chuckled a bit, then suddenly became serious again and sat down next to him. "My mother wants you to eat with us tonight."

"That's nice of her..." he said a little confused. "Where does this come from ? I thought she didn't care about you ?"

"I have no freaking idea" she said, visibly pissed by that. "But she absolutely wants to meet you."

"That's not very surprising," he replied with a dazzling smile, "who wouldn't ?" Brooke rolled her eyes, feigning exasperation. "Do you mind if I say yes ?" he asked, not sure how she would react.

"Yeah, but that's okay, I don't want to hurt my dad."

Nathan gave her a gentle smile, wishing he could comfort her. He could see how shaken up she was about her mother's arrival, that she didn't know how to act around her. Plus, she was still trying not to create any trouble at home so that her father wouldn't suffer from her inability to get along with her mother. It was very honorable of her to do that, and he didn't know if he would have been able to do the same, had he been in that situation.

"So, are you coming or not ?"

"Yeah, I just have to tell my dad." he said with a shrug. "Dad !"

Dan waited a few minutes before appearing on the livingroom threshold. He saw Brooke and immediately smiled at her; she got up while he was walking toward her to kiss her on the cheek. They exchanged small talk for a bit, about school, her father... He even asked her if she was not too bored with Nathan.

He didn't know if the fact that Dan appreciated Brooke that much was a good thing or not. For the past two years, he had never decided on that. Yes, it was a good thing, since Dan didn't criticize her every five seconds. But it did bother him to see him flatter Brooke that way; Nathan knew very well about his extramarital activities, unbeknownst to Dan. He also knew they all involved women way younger than his father. Of course Brooke would never respond to Dan if he were to ever make a move on her, but that didn't mean Nathan didn't feel terribly uneasy whenever his father was talking to her.

"I'm eating at her place tonight," he said, interrupting them when Brooke sat back next to him.

"You can do whatever you want." he said before swiftly turning to Brooke again. "And how about your class, how is it going ?"

"Fine," she said with a shrug.

Nathan wondered for a moment how Dan could not see that she was uncomfortable around him. "Great, great." he said with a smile. "And your new litterature teacher, how is he ? He is your teacher right ?"

So that's what he was aiming for since the beginning. Dan ignored the disgusted look that his son sent him, and waited for an answer. Brooke, a little taken aback, glanced at Nathan to probably know what was the right answer to give.

"It's not a trick question, Brooke," he said with a laugh, "don't worry."

"He's... he's really good."

"Oh. You heard that, son ? Really good. He's really good," he repeated bitterly.

"Dad..." he said with a frown.

"Hey, it's your girlfriend's words, not mine !"

"I meant that he's a good teacher," Brooke added nervously. "Well, I never hear any student complain about it him, and... And I heard he's a great assistant to Whi..."

She stopped rambling as soon as Nathan gave her a slight nudge, which Dan didn't seem to notice. He had, however, heard the word assistant, and naturally wanted more details. The problem was that Nathan had not said a word about Lucas assisting the Coach during their trainings.

"Um, I..." she stuttered, her eyes travelling between father and son. "I just..."

"He's helping Whitey during our trainings." Nathan said for her.

Dan raised his eyebrows, and looked at them both, "Interesting." he murmured, thoughtful.

"No dad, it's not interesting." Nathan said harshly. "It's quite the opposite."

"And when's your next training ?"

"Oh no, you're not coming."

"And why not ?"

"Because you have no reason to !" he cried with indignation.

"I'm part of the school board," he reminded him with a triumphant smile. "And since apparently no one knows about this private assistantship, I think I have every right to know what it really is about."

Nathan looked for a solid counter-argument, but soon realised that it was pointless to do so. It was Dan they were talking about after all, if he had his mind set on something, then there was no way to stop him.

"Do as you wish," he sighed, "it's not like you would listen."

"I just want to know what he can do." he said, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"What he can do ? More like, _if_ he can do better than me, no ?"

He didn't reply, but didn't need to. Of course he wanted to compare them, just as he had always done. Nathan didn't have one memory with his father where he didn't tell him to be better than Lucas.

"Did you see him play ?" Dan asked to Brooke.

She had stayed silent until know, keeping a low profile during their argument, and when he asked his question, her eyes briefly widened, before she shakily shrugged. "A little, yes." she said after much hesaation. "We see them sometimes with the cheerleaders."

"And what do you think ?"

"I don't know, mister Scott. I'm just cheering, I'm not really good at judging..."

"Just leave us alone, dad."

Dan stepped forward, giving him an icy look, silently but clearly telling him that he couldn't use that tone with him. But Nathan didn't care what he said, he wasn't a kid anymore, and angering his father didn't frighten him like it used to.

"Well, I'll see for myself." Dan said with a shrug. "But why are you so scared, son ? He can't be better than you since he can't play anymore."

"I don't want to talk about that, why don't you get it ?"

"Even if he could still play," he went on, "he wouldn't measure up to you."

"And how do you know that ?" he asked with a sigh.

"I know that because you're my son."

"Lucas is your son too."

Nathan turned to Brooke in surprise, she had beaten him to it this time. Her embarrassment was still there, but she was driven by some kind of resentment, though he didn't know where that came from.

"He's not my son, no." Dan replied coldly. "I only have one son, and he is much better than the other one."

He left on these contradictory words, under his and Brooke's bitter looks.

"I shouldn't have said that..." Brooke murmured to . "I hope I didn't get you any trouble."

"Don't worry," he said with a smile. "We fight everyday now, so it's alright."

"But still" she said with dismay, "I don't get why he's obsessed with Lucas."

"Trust me, you're not the only one."

 **Lucas Scott**

Haley was finishing her cup of coffee, sitting at the other side of the counter. She had finished her service several minutes ago, but had lingered in after they had started talking a bit. He got especially interested by what she had to say when he learned that she was Nathan's tutor. At first, he didn't understand why he even needed a tutor; he had seen his grades, out of curiosity, when he had arrived here, and they weren't that bad, they were even pretty good, and he obviously didn't need a tutor. He didn't say that to her though, and had let her go through her description of what they were working on.

"Mmh, I kinda figured that you weren't on good terms." she said, putting her cup between them.

"Not really," he said with a shrug, "it's really Nathan who's got problems with me."

"And how long has he been like this ? I mean, I don't mean to pry or anything", she added, embarrassed.

"No, I don't mind talking about it." he said with a smile. "It's been so long that I can't really say. Well, that's just how it is. What about your work here, do you like it here ?"

"Yup." she said with a bright smile. "Karen... I mean your mother, she's so nice to me... And I got lucky that Brooke told me about this job."

"She is nice, isn't she ?"

He looked up when he heard the doorbell ring. Two highschoolers came in and went straight to him; Lucas recognised the one on the left as the boy commenting the Ravens' basketball games, Mouth, but couldn't put a name on his friend's face.

"Skills ? I thought you couldn't come ?" Haley asked them.

"I know, but I asked my neighbor to watch over my sister, she knows her well."

He heard them talk about a movie, but his attention quickly focused on the ball that Skills was holding against his hip.

"You used to play, didn't you ?"

Lucas broke out of his reverie, and nodded.

"I already told you that," Mouth whispered to his friend, shaking his head.

"Yeah, but I just wanted to make sure." he said with a shrug. "I heard stories about you, you know. Of all those scores you made back then."

"It wasn't so long ago." he told them with a nostalgic smile.

"If you want, one of these days, we could play together," Skills told him, "you can come to the River Court. We're always there... It's right after the bridge, between 3rd and..."

"I know where it is," he interrupted him, holding back a laugh.

"Ah. Well, see you then !"

"Bye, sir."

The three of them left, and while he was washing the cup Haley had used, he thought with amusement about what Skills had just told him. He had just invited him to go to the River Court. He couldn't believe he had been given the permission to go to a place where he had spent most of his childhood.

Watching over the register with one eye, he sat down and opened his notebook, taking his pen in the other hand. The Café was very calm, as for every sunday afternoon, so he could afford to write during his work.

He stopped when the door opened again; looking up, he saw a middle-aged woman come in. It took him a short moment to recognise the woman who had come to talk to Brooke, yesterday.

Brooke's mother didn't hesitate at all when she came to him, smiling with a determined look on her face. After he shook her hand, she sat down right where Haley had been standing a few minutes before.

"I saw you yesterday," she said, not taking off her smile. "I don't know if Brook told you, but I'm her mother. Victoria Davis."

"Nice to meet you," he politely said, his jaw clenching when he remembered Brooke's crying face. "I'm Lucas."

"Yes, Lucas Scott. My husband told me about you, he said you are her litterature teacher, is that correct ?"

"Yes ma'am. Actually, I'm just replacing her..."

"I know about all this," she interrupted him, sweeping his words with a swift hand gesture.

He raised an eyebrow, wondering if she always had that permanent hurried attitude with everyone she met.

"How can I help you ? Do you want a drink ?"

"A coffee, please."

He bent over on his right side to catch the coffee pot, and with his other hand grabbed a mug, all the while feeling Victoria's burning stare on him, feeling as a circus freak.

"How long have you known Brooke ?"

"I arrived here more than a month ago now." he said, handing her drink to her.

"And how is she in class ?"

"She's... hard-working."

He didn't know exactly what she knew, and that put him in quite an uncomfortable position. Not only was she intimidating enough, but he also had no way to know if she did or not know about his meetings with Brooke. If she still didn't know and he didn't tell her himself, and if she learnt the truth by someone else while she was in town, it would definitely come back to bite him. But then he would deal with the same consequences if he were to tell her now. But if she did know about it, though... Maybe she was simply testing him.

"How is she, out of school ?"

She took a sip of coffee, her eyes fixed on him.

Lucas guessed from her inquisitive look that she had to know, and that it was clearly why she had come to see him. To check whether or not he was a danger for her daughter.

"She tends to underestimate herself. Well, that's only my opinion."

Victoria nodded, deep into her thoughts, her eyes falling to her fingers tightened around her drink. She seemed strangely anxious; Lucas then thought that she was probably worried about her daughter, that it was natural for a mother. But then, he remembered last night, and the state in which he had found Brooke. He couldn't forget that this woman sitting in front of him was the very reason of her helplessness.

"And... Did she tell you what she wants to do after graduation ?"

It was probably a mere coincidence that she was asking him this now. There was no way Brooke had told her mother about their conversation from yesterday night. He hesitated before answering, not knowing what was the right thing to do in Brooke's absence.

"I think you should just ask her directly." he said with a soft tone.

"So you did talk about it."

"She should be the one to tell you, not me." he insisted with a polite smile. "I probably don't know your daughter enough, but I think you shouldn't beat around the bush with her if you want a honest reply. Or, actually, anything else."

"You think you can tell what to do ?" she said, an eyebrow raised.

He gulped, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you, but..." he said, embarrassed.

"I'm kidding," she smiled, her seriousness suddenly disappearing. "But you're probably right. Is your mother here ?"

"No, there's only Deb... her coworker."

"Ah, too bad." she murmured. "I wanted to talk to her too, she must know Brooke very well."He nodded with a smile and offered her another cup of coffee, that she refused with a silent hand movement. " Ted told me how she raised you, all on her own. That was very brave of her." she added, slightly smiling.

"I agree."

"My mother raised me on her own too, but..."

She didn't finish her sentence, her look suddenly vacant, her eyes focusing on an empty spot above Lucas' right shoulder. Her smile quickly vanished until her lips formed a straight, thin line. She seemed tense for a moment, then blinked and went out of her transe, smiled at him with an apologetic look.

"I have to go," she said, taking her purse out of her bag. "Good bye Lucas."

She got up and went straight to the exit. He glanced at the note that she had left on the counter, stunned by the amount she had left behind.

"Ten dollars for a coffee, that's way too much !" he cried right when she reached the door.

"Keep the rest as a tip !" she replied, not looking back at him.

Lucas kept the note in his hands for a few seconds, wondering what her gesture could mean. Was it a way to show him that she was so full of money that leaving a ten dollar tip was fine for her, or...

Or what ? What could it possibly mean ? Maybe she was simply in a hurry, and didn't have any change with her. That was probably it.

He didn't get a bigger tip that night, which wasn't surprising at all. After he had closed down the Café, he went straight home and decided to call Lindsay as soon as he would be there. He hadn't given her any news regarding the book for several days now, which meant that she was probably already imagining the worst, that he had lost his inspiration and didn't dare to tell her.

When she answered his call, after three rings, she shouted his name in her phone, startling him. After carefully bringing his phone next to his ear again, he asked her how she was doing.

"How I'm doing ? What do you think, wise-ass, you haven't said a word about your book in two weeks now so how am I supposed to..."

"I'll send you the first half tomorrow," he announced with a grin. He had expected cries of joy, but was confronted with silence. "Linds ?" he said with a frown. "Are you still there ?"

"There's no way," she murmured, "not so fast."

"I almost finished the second part but I should get it done by tonight, that's why you'll only get it tomorrow... Probably in the evening, after school."

"Lucas." she said, her voice strict. "Please tell me that you didn't botch up your book for me ?"

"No," he said with a smile. "I didn't botch up anything, I swear, it's just that... It's like this story has always been there in me, it was just waiting for the right time to come out."

It sounded a bit foolish, even crazy, but that really was how he was feeling. Lindsay was kind enough not to make fun of him, and why would she anyway ? He could go completely nuts for all she cared, as long as he had enough inspiration to write, she'd be fine with it.

"So, what was your trigger ?" she asked, curious.

"I don't know. But I think coming back to Tree Hill was an excellent idea."

"Well, you'll have to come back here once this is over. Oh, did you come up with a title ?"

"No, not yet... But I will." he stated with confidence.

"Erm... Alright. But you said you're finishing the second part, how many do you intend to write ?"

"Four... I think."

"You think ? You... You do know the ending to your story, right ?"

"Yeah, I do, don't worry about that, it's just the title I've got trouble with..."

"If you want," she said after thinking for a while, "I could ask here if..."

"Thank you Linds," he cut her off, sitting at his desk, "but I'll find one myself."

That was when the cries of joys started, making him smile with amusement. He even thought he was hearing her pop a bottle of champagne, which wouldn't have been surprising at all coming from Lindsay.

"This is awesome, so awesome !"

"Wait, you haven't read it yet." he calmly said. "Who knows, it may be third rate. Maybe you won't even publish it..."

"Are you kidding me ?" she cried with a loud laugh. "You ? Third-rate ? Yeah, sure Luke... No, that's just not possible. It will be excellent, I know it will."

"Look, I'm grateful for all that trust you have in me, but..."

"We're done talking about this." she said with a sudden strict voice, before getting back her joyful mood. "So now that you'll send me the first half, can you tell me what it's about ?"

He laughed, shaking his head, "You've waited all these weeks, you can still wait a few more hours !"

He hung up before she could shout insults at him and thus, explode another one of his eardrums. One a night was way enough.

 **Brooke Davis**

Finally, the long-awaited dinner was here. Brooke had hoped that Nathan had a plausible excuse to bail on them, but unfortunately he was completely free, which had overjoyed her father. Her mother too, surprisingly. Brooke still had no idea why they were even having this dinner, or where this sudden passion from Victoria over her daughter's boyfriend came from.

An even more surprising fact was that Brooke, when she had come down earlier that evening, had seen her mother in their kitchen, chopping vegetables. She had not seen her busy cooking since... at least seven years, maybe more. And she had to admit that her mother had not lost her touch over the years.

"Ted, you've outdone yourself tonight !" Nathan told him with a broad grin.

Her father, who was sitting across Nathan, glanced at his wife, "You should say that to Vic."

"This is really delicious, Victoria."

So they were already using their first names, huh ? How sickening. "And you, Brooke ?" her father asked her. "How does it taste ?"

"Terrific." she murmured, avoiding her mother's gaze across the table.

"Thank you," she told her. "You're so sweet Nathan, and you didn't have to bring those flowers, but it's still very nice of you."

Blah, blah, blah. They had been sitting around this table for half an hour now, and Brooke was overdosing on all their mushiness.

"So tell me everything," Victoria said with enthusiasm. "How long have you been together ?"

"Almost two years," Nathan told her.

"Mmh... So this is serious, then. And where will you go after graduation ?"

Questions, so many questions. It was as if she was trying to make up for all her years spent miles away from her.

"I'm going to Duke." he said, not without pride.

"You should see him play," Ted added, "he's quite impressive."

"Yeah, well you haven't won the championship yet," Brooke told him with a nudge, "and everyone will be watching you on Friday, so don't get too big for your boots."

"We've been great till now," he said, "why would it change ?"

"And, Duke then, it's close to Tree Hill, right ?" Victoria asked him. "That means you won't be able to meet very often."

Nathan turned to her, a bit surprised by her question. "Not really, our colleges are at a half an hour ride away from each other, it's not that far."

"Oh no, not half an hour." she corrected with a strange smile. "Brooke is going to New York next year."

He glanced at her, stunned by these news. She had indeed never told him about any school in New York where she wanted to go, and now he was being told that was where she wanted to go for the next four years.

"I didn't get the time to tell you," she said apologetically, "I've only known since yesterday. I would have prefered to tell him myself," she added for her mother.

"I'm sorry," Victoria said with a shrug, "but since he's supposed to be your boyfriend, I thought he already knew about it."

Brooke raised an eyebrow, and quickly hid her astonishment.

 _Supposed to be ?_

It was a perfectly innocent way of putting things, but why did she have a feeling that her mother implied a lot by these words ?

She stealthily looked at Nathan, who didn't seem to have noticed the odd choice of words of Victoria, and looked more confused about her sudden change of mind on her future.

"You'll meet durring holidays," Ted told them with a tender smile. "And Brooke will come back some weekends, you can still see each other then."

"You're right," Nathan eventually said. "It's not that far, I guess."

"And we can use phones, too." Brooke added.

"Phones only work if the other person accepts to take your call." her mother retorted.

Brooke turned to her, her eyes widening, wondering if she was daydreaming. Was her mother seriously blaming her for not taking her phone calls ?

"Let's not talk about this now," Ted murmured, suddenly very nervous.

"You'll come see me as much as you can, right ?" Brooke asked Nathan. "Right ?"

"Yeah sure." he said, obviously embarrassed. "It... It's such a big city too, New York, I've never been there."

"Oh, then I can show you around," Victoria said with a smile.

"Well, considering the amount of time you've spent there, you probably know the city by heart", Brooke said, unable to keep her mouth shut. "Even better than your own daughter."

Ted almost choked on his wine; Nathan too, though he had nothing in his mouth at that time, he seemed to choke on thin air. Her father made the good decision to get up, saying it was about time they got to dessert, leaving Nathan alone with two women who were scornfully starinng at each other.

He left soon after, stating that they had school tomorrow and that he couldn't get home late tonight. Brooke knew that it was mostly because of the not so joyful atmosphere that had filled the room, and that had made him uncomfortable. She still thanked him for coming and walked him back to the door. When he left, she sighed, leaning on her door, enjoying a moment alone, then went to the kitchen to help her father with the dishes.

Except it wasn't her dad who was handling that chore; her mother turned around when she heard the kitchen door open, and briefly explained that Ted was lying down, suffering from a strong headache.

Brooke hesitated, but still took a towel that was lying around the table, and went to stand next to her mother.

"He's not the only you're giving headaches to." she murmured, wiping a plate.

"I wonder if I'm really the source of them."

"What are you suggesting, that it's me ? Nope, I don't think so."

"I didn't know you could be so sharp," Victoria said with amusement. But Brooke wasn't amused at all, not one bit.

"You don't know me, period."

Second plate. She wasn't looking at her mother, but heard her sigh softly. "It's true that I spent a lot of time away from here, but I was still present, you can't say the contrary."

"Ah, yes, at first you were."

Third plate. At first, as far as she could remember, Victoria had always been home, like her husband. But with time, she had become more and more absent. At the beginning, it was only for a weekend, then a whole week, and it quickly escalated to several months. But anyway, even when she had physically been home, Brooke had always had the feeling that her mother's mind was somewhere far, far away. Some place where she didn't need to worry about her daughter.

"I'm very busy with my work."

"Oh please, I don't buy it anymore. After all these years working your ass off, you're not allowed to get your weekends ?"

Fourth plate. This time, she was at her breaking point and knew she would soon explode; she threw away her towel and left without looking back at her mother. "I'm tired of all this." she murmured before slamming the door on her way out.

The next morning, when she came downstairs to have her breakfast, she saw her father drinking his coffee and reading his newspaper, like every other morning. He looked up at her when she came in and smiled at her.

Then he told her Victoria had left an hour ago, and had not wished to wake her up.

She wanted to be delighted, but didn't have the energy for it. She wasn't disappointed either, since from the moment she had seen her mother coming in the Café, she had known it would only be for two days, and that on Monday morning she would have vanished.

"Are you okay ?" Ted asked her, putting his paper down next to him.

"Yeah," she said with a shrug, before getting her breakfast bowl from one of the cupboards. "What about you ? She is your wife after all."

"She is your mother too." he replied on the same tone, getting back to his reading.

She opened the fridge door, searching for milk. "You didn't answer me."

Shoot, they were out of milk. Maybe there was some coffee left ? "I'm fine, I'll see her this Friday anyway."

"Ah, you're already going there ?"

He usually went to see his wife in New York, every last weekend of the month. But they were still at the beginning of the month, and she had just spent a weekend here, so... Why would he go there so soon ?

Damn, the coffee pot was empty too. Great, this day was getting off to a bad start...

"No, she's the one coming here." Brooke spinned around and came close to dropping the bowl she had been holding in one hand. Stunned, she kept staring at her father until he eventually gave her further explanation.

"She called her boss last night, after you went to bed. He gave her the permission to spend her weekends here," he said merrily.

* * *

Thank you for reading ! And thanks a lot for your reviews/PMs too, in English or in French, they're all very welcome :)

I'll be going for a short holiday next week, so if you don't see a chapter by Thursday morning, then it should be up after next Tuesday !

Coming next : Lucas finds a title for his book !


	8. Lovesong

**LOVESONG**

 **Brooke Davis**

"But what does that mean ?"

Brooke looked up to her friend, sitting across from her at their usual lunch spot. She shrugged the same way she had the day before, when she had been asked the same question.

"I don't know, P. All I know is that she wants to come home every weekend."

She tried not to pay attention to the confused looks of their table guests : Julian, Mouth, Haley and her friends, and of course Nathan.

"Maybe she finally realized she has a family." Peyton said.

"It's weird, though... Why now, after all this time ?" she murmured. "She's hiding something, I know she is."

Something other than her school in New York... She pretended that she had come to Tree Hill just for that, but in the end she had left before Brooke had even filled her registration form, as if it didn't matter at all.

"Can't you just enjoy it while it lasts ?"

"It's not that simple." someone said before she could say anything.

Both girls turned at the same time to Julian, intrigued by his sudden reaction. Brooke even thought he was a little tense, but only for a short moment, for he quickly regained his composure.

She didn't have to let him sit at their table after Peyton had invited her small troupe, but she still had; out of sympathy, mostly. Not that she suddenly trusted him now that she knew he was in love with her best friend, but... He had sounded so genuine, that it had been enough to reassure her. And it didn't bother her to talk about her mother in front of him, or the rest of them. No classified file was revealed at their table, so why couldn't they invite Haley too, who had recently turned out to be of excellent company ?

Nathan had made a funny face when he had seen Haley sit next to her, but she didn't point it out. It actually wasn't the first time that he had such a reaction around Haley; at first, Brooke thought he simply didn't like her, before quickly going back on her words. They seemed to get along really well... Which only made his obvious embarrassment whenever she was around more confusing. Was he also like this during their tutoring sessions ? That was another thing she couldn't understand, since when was he in need for tutoring ? Well, if it could help him...

"And did you tell your father ?" Haley asked her with hesitation.

"No," she said, looking down at her plate, playing with her food from the tip of her fork. "I don't want to bother him with that."

"He wouldn't mind," Nathan retorted.

She stealthily glanced at him, and saw that he had a supporting smile. "I don't know..." she said with a sigh. "I think I'll wait, he's still overjoyed with his wife's homecoming.. I'll wait until he's calmed down and back down on earth, and then I'll tell him."

 **Lucas Scott**

His car dashboard was telling him that he was ten minutes late. Brooke had been waiting for him for ten minutes already... If she had come.

All day long, and the day before, he had wondered if she was going to come to their meeting. After their argument last Sunday, they hadn't had the chance to talk, which meant Lucas had no idea what was going through her mind. He had seen her in class this morning, but hadn't noticing anything different; she had left too quickly at the end of his class, before he could even call out to her. Strangely enough, he had caught her staring at him several times... Unless he was simply being paranoid.

He honestly didn't think she was coming, but just in case, had decided to come, after long moments of hesitation.

Lucas was thus extremely surprised to see her sitting at their usual table, reading a magazine. She looked up, startled to see him, then hurriedly put her magazine in her bag and took a novel out of it. He sat down next to her and glanced at the book.

The alchemist.

He smiled inwardly; the last time they had met here, he had told her to choose a book herself... And she had nailed it.

"Where the heck have you been ?" she asked him, nervously tapping on the table. "Well, it's alright. I finished it yesterday, I took some notes too." He stared at her for a while, wondering when she would talk about their fight. Was she ever going to ? For now, she was acting as if it had never happened. "... even my dad agreed !" she said with a chuckle. "But hey, in the end I..."

"Brooke ?" She seemed surprised to be stopped in her tracks, but let him go on. "Before we talk about that, don't you think we should, erm... discuss something else ?"

"Discuss what ?" she asked with an innocent look.

She was burying her hand in the sand, no way she had forgotten about last Sunday. Unless... She thought it didn't matter ? No, no she was definitely avoiding the subject. Was that her way of dealing with things ? "You know, the argument we had the other day."

"Ah, that," she said with a shrug. "We don't have to talk about it."

"But Brooke..." he said with a frown. "You can't just forget about a fight and go on with..."

"And why would that be a problem ?" she asked, an eyebrow raised.

She really didn't seem to see any problem in that, which made him think even further that she did often react that way. "The thing is, we'll keep having the same fight if we don't talk about it now."

She curtly put down her book in front of her, then spun on her chair to face him. "Fine," she said on a dry tone. "Go ahead, talk."

He suddenly felt uneasy with the way she was backing him into a corner, but pulled himself together and rapidly tried to carefully choose his words, so that he wouldn't upset her this time. "What I said to you that time... I still mean it," he said softly, "after seeing you Saturday night, I... I can't just ignore you when you're not well."

"But I'm fine - "

"Let me finish, please," he asked, startling her. "I shouldn't have used the teacher card that day, because you're obviously not just a student to me, so I apologize for that. But I won't apologize for being worried about you or for trying to help you. So from now on, if I have anything to ask you, then I will do so whether you answer me or not, because I'll keep worrying anyway." he said in one breath before adding, with much hesitation, "And if you mind, then... then I'm sorry, but you're gonna just have to deal with it."

She raised her eyebrows, and acted as if she didn't want to look flustered. If that was the case, she was failing at her attempt, for she couldn't prevent her cheeks from taking a slightly pink shade. "Alright." she murmured.

"Good." he breathed out, as if a weight had been lifted off him. "And now... The alchemist, huh ? It's one of my..."

"I often run with Nathan on Sunday mornings." He stopped flipping through the book and looked at her. "I should have said no this time." she said, a sheepish look on her face. "But I didn't because I wanted to avoid my mother as much as possible... And then I... I'm sorry I shouted at you the way I did, I shouldn't have. I was just tired and, and... angry. Sorry."

Lucas held back a sigh, trying not to interrupt her. How could he make her see that she had to learn how to face her problems, instead of running away from them, however unpleasant they may be. He figured that he could tell her later, judging that he had preached at her enough for one day. And with time, maybe she would get to that mindset on her own...

"Anyway she's coming back next Friday, and every other weekend that's coming. Well, that's what she said."

"And you don't believe her ?"

"No, not really." she said with a shrug. "I'm waiting to see how things will go. Oh, and she told Nathan I was going to New York in September."

"That school again ?" he asked, furrowing his brow. She silently nodded, and he noticed her hands were shaking a bit, though he didn't know if it was out of anger or... fear. "Did you fill in the form she gave you ?"

"Nope, not yet," she murmured with a sigh. "That's what's so weird in this, it's the _only_ reason why she came home, and she completely forgot about it when she left..."

He immediately remembered the small exchange he had had with Victoria, and what they had talked about; she had sounded as if she genuinely wanted to know what were her daughter's plans... But apparently, she hadn't directly asked Brooke. Well, he could easily guess that on this character trait, mother and daughter were very much alike.

"It might be my fault," he said, fearing her reaction. "She came to the Café Sunday afternoon, I think she wanted to talk to my mom but since she wasn't there..."

"What did you tell her ?"

"That maybe you wanted to do something else. That she should ask you."

She didn't seem annoyed, to his relief, but soon looked even more aggrieved. "Which proves that she doesn't care at all about all that, she didn't say a word to me. She met Nathan after you talked to her, and she still told him about the school..."

"Maybe she's just waiting for you to make the first move ?"

"No." she flatly denied. "No, she's not like that. She gets straight to the point, for every single thing, so if she really wanted to know my opinion on this, she would ask me without hesitation."

"You think ? But..." It wasn't the impression Victoria had left on him. Well, she did seem sure of herself and decided, but when it came to her daughter...

"But what ?" Brooke asked him, curious.

"No, nothing," he said, shaking his head. "Hey, I've been thinking about what you said, how you're interested in fashion design and..."

He bent down to reach his backpack, rummaged through it to pick out a small pile of papers and put it down in front of her. She gave him a quizzical look before glancing at the papers, taking one in her hand.

"What's that ?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"It's the registration form for a design school." he said with a proud smile. "I found quite a few around here, but either it was to late to enroll, or there weren't a lot a of good recommendations... This one, though, I think you'd like. It's in New York too, but at least you would be doing what you like."

Her eyes widened for a while, and she carefully put down the sheet she was holding back on its pile. He had expected her to be delighted, to the very least, but... She wasn't at all. She actually looked embarrassed, for some reason.

"It's an art school," he explained, his confidence crumbling down, "but with a branch in fashion design. And you have a week left to send your form, so... it's now or never."

"I..." she stopped, and stayed silent for a long time, before eventually taking the pile of papers in her hands. She turned to him, and he was relieved to see that she seemed genuinely grateful. "Thanks, Lucas, this is... really nice," she murmured. "I... I'll think about it."

She clumsily put the papers in her own bag. "Think about it ?" he repeated, confused. "I thought that's what you wanted, it is what you said, right ?"

"Erm, yes, I did say that." she said, straightening her back. "But, um, I..." she stuttered, looking nervous. "Oh, look at the time, we should get back to work now. My father is very serious about his curfew."

Why was she so nervous to talk to him about it when she had herself told him what she wanted, just the other day ? What could have possibly changed in three days ? She didn't seem resigned to listen to her mother, so why wasn't she more thrilled about this ? Unless... It wasn't what she wanted to do either, but why would she lie to him then ?

"Okay," he simply said.

Lucas had done his research online, with the best intentions. He had just wanted to find a solution to her problems, and thought he had found one... But obviously, he had not. She wanted to be a fashion designer, he had found a school for that. Why wasn't she thrilled ? Why did she look like a hare running away from a shotgun ?

He put these thoughts aside for the next fifty minutes, focusing on what she had to say. Fifty minutes that went by at a frightening speed, for when she checked her watch and told him it was time to go, it felt as if they had barely been talking for ten minutes.

"Already ?"

She threw him an amused look, then put her book back in her bag. Lucas was ready to get up too, when he recalled a matter he had been dealing with for far too long, and looking at Brooke, wondered if she could help him.

"Brooke, you're a girl, right ?"

She chuckled, sitting back next to him. He then understood why his question sounded weird, and smiled himself. "Yes, I think I am."

"That's not what I meant," he explained. "I wanted to know if you had read, watched or even knew about a lot of love stories."

"So, if I'm a girl, I must be fond of chick flicks ?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, that's not what I..." he said, hesitating. "I just figured that..."

"Lucky for you," she cut him off, "a few years ago I used to binge on them with Peyton. I think we watched like fifty of them... But why do you ask ?"

"I need a title for my book, and since I don't seem to find anything, I figured I could use a reference to another story. You know, an analogy."

Brooke's face lighted up as soon as she heard the work book, "You've finished it then ?" she asked with an enthusiastic smile. "That means it's a romance !? And can I read it..."

"I promised I would keep you a copy," he cut her off, amused by her reaction, "and I will. But it's not finished yet, I've only written the first half."

"Ah." She sounded a little disappointed, but quickly went back to her usual smile and for a moment her look became vacant, as she was probably thinking of a title. "The thing is, you can't make a reference to something that has nothing to do with your story, or it would be weird," she said, shaking her head. "I need more details to help you."

He pondered on it for a while, feeling strangely embarrassed to tell her about it. "Fine," he said with a sigh. "It's about two friends who've known each other for almost forever, they've grown up together and with time they fall in love with each other. But not at the same time, so they keep putting distance between them only to find their way back to each other, every time. The story follows their lives separately and together for several years, and we see them grow up. Oh and the boy's passionate about stars and the universe, and he eventually becomes an astronomer." he awkwardly explained. "But it's the first time I write romance, so I don't know how it will turn out..."

Her face froze for a second, then she suddenly sprang to her feet and ran away between the book shelves, vanishing from his field of vision. Lucas hesitated on following her, but figured that it was already too late to do so, and quietly waited for her at their table.

It didn't take long before she came back, an enormous book in her hands, a book that he didn't remember ever seeing. She dropped it on the table, then went around it to stand right next to him, bending over the book whose pages she was quickly, but carefully, turning.

"I found this a few days ago, it's an anthology of myths and legends." she said, searching for a particular page. "I was just roaming around and I saw it by chance..."

At some point, he stopped listening, his embarrassment growing with every second. He even thought of asking her to move away from him, but obviously didn't say a word, knowing that it would sound weird. The fact remained that she had never been so close to him, physically speaking, and he couldn't help but stare at her face, scrutinizing every one of its features. He then looked down at her bare nape, only a few centimeters from his face. For the first time, he realized how pale her skin was, similar to porcelain... Though he knew for sure that if he were to touch it, it would feel like silk beneath his fingers.

"Lucas ?"

He was roused from his thoughts and noticed her curious look; Lucas understood why she was looking at him that way, when he saw that he had mechanically grabbed a strand of hair falling on her shoulder. He immediately let it go, thinking about an acceptable excuse. "You had something in you hair," he mumbled, looking away.

To his relief, she believed him and tied up her hair with a hairband that had been around her wrist, "Ah, thanks," she said with a smile. "It's so dusty in here. Nice, but dusty." She went back to her reading, and very soon stopped on a page, tapping on it with her right forefinger. "That's what I was looking for !" she cried in delight.

Lucas read the title and the first lines of the story she was pointing at. "Chi Shi?" he read, unsure of the right pronunciation. "I've never heard of that."

"I hadn't either, until I found this" she said, finally sitting down on her chair and putting the usual distance between them. "I was just flipping through the pages and I randomly stopped on this story. It's a legend, a Chinese poem."

"Chinese ?" he said, furrowing his brow. "But I..."

"It's about a herdsman, called Niulang. One day, he sees a fairy –"

"A fairy ?" he repeated, already skeptical about her choice.

"Yes, a fairy." she replied with a grin. "Her name's Zhinu. And since he's seen her naked, he has to marry her."

It made Lucas smile, who then imagined what he would have gone through if he had had to marry every woman he had seen naked. Not that he had seen hundreds of them, but in addition to the few girlfriends he had had, his college years would have probably brought him to have quite a number of wives...

"I know it's weird," she added when she saw his face, "but that's just how it is. Anyway with time they eventually fall in love and even get kids together. But then one day, the skies goddess spots them and realizes that a mere human married a fairy..."

"And she hadn't noticed it before ?" he asked with a quiet laugh.

"Erm... No, maybe she was sleeping," she retorted with a shrug. "So when she sees them, she decides to separate them. She takes one of her gigantic hair pins, and draws a river in the sky to separate them."

"A river ?"

"Yup, the Milky Way."

"Brooke," he said, hesitating, "are you sure that..."

"This is very serious !" she cried. "They celebrate this legend every year, on the Chi Shi festival day. The two lovers are compared to stars, and once a year, I don't remember which day but it doesn't matter, all the magpies in the world get together to form a bridge between them and get them to meet, just for one day. Oh, and it works only if the sky is clear."

Now he knew what her point was. They met, fell in love, and even when they get separated, they find a way back to each other...

"It's a beautiful legend," he admitted with a smile. "And I see why you thought of this one, but... I don't really see myself calling my book Niolung..."

"Niulang," she corrected.

"Niulang and Zhina."

"Zhinu"

"Yeah, right," he said with an apologetic look. "I can't even remember those names, let alone pronounce them correctly..."

Brooke seemed disappointed, shrugging and looking down at the page again. Her head shot up and she turned to him with a new found grin, "That's because they're Chinese names. But the stars that represent them, they don't have Chinese names."

"What are they called, then ?" he asked, curious.

"Altair and Vega."

Altair and Vega... It was a bit of a mouthful, but he liked the sound of it. It would be quite a nice analogy too, and since they were stars, he could easily connect it to his main character... A flow of ideas was rushing in his mind, which could only be a good thing.

He didn't promise anything though, preferring not to give her any false hope, and told her he would seriously think about it and tell her of his decision. After that, they figured it was about time they left and Lucas drove her back home. Instead of letting her get off his car once he had pulled over, he got off too and walked with her to her door.

"I'd like to talk to your father," he told her when he saw her surprised face.

"My dad ?" she repeated, before panic appeared in her eyes. "Wait, you're not gonna tell him about my night time jogging, are you ?"

"No, I won't, don't worry... I just have to report to him every once in a while."

Which was a big fat lie, but he couldn't tell her the truth either, she would have accused him of not minding his own business. And she would have definitely been right to do so, which only convinced him that he had to keep his intentions secret.

"I won't tell him anything you wouldn't want him to know," he eventually said, thinking that at least he wasn't lying.

Brooke seemed relieved and opened her front door, inviting him in. She called out to her father, who appeared on the kitchen threshold, a butcher's knife in his right hand.

"Ah, Lucas !" he exclaimed with a warm smile, "How are you ?"

When he saw them both step back as he was walking to them, Ted understood that he was scaring them with his blade, and went back in the kitchen to put it away. He reappeared almost immediately, laughing out loud, and came to them to tap on Lucas' back. Well, things had definitely changed since the last time he had seen Ted, when the atmosphere around them, filled with suspicion, had almost smothered him.

"Can we talk ?" he asked him. "It won't take long."

"Sure," Ted told him with a nod. "Brooke, can you set up the table, dinner's ready. Lucas, we can talk in my office."

She shrugged and watched them walk away from her. Since he had never been in that room before, Lucas glanced around him, discreetly observing the office while Ted was closing the door. He didn't pay much attention to the strong and wide ebony office, or to the bookcases crawling over the walls, but mainly noticed the numerous family pictures standing on each piece of furniture there was.

"So, what do you want to talk about ?" he asked, gesturing him to sit down.

For some reason, Lucas had a déjà-vu feeling when he sat in front of him, reminding him of the few times when he had been in the principal's office. It had only happened once or twice, but he still vividly remembered it. Ted looked much more friendlier than his former principal though, and put him at ease.

"Did Brooke do something ?" he asked with concern.

"No," Lucas said with a smile. "I just want to know if you heard about this business school in New York."

Ted looked suddenly relieved, as if he had expected him to say that his daughter had murdered someone. His shoulders relaxing, he leaned on his armchair and nodded, a satisfied look on his face. "I'm so glad that she's found her path," he said with a bright smile.

He sounded so enthusiastic that Lucas thought about changing his mind for a while. But then he realized it was probably why Brooke was not saying anything to her father, and chose to go on with his decision. "Is that really what she wants ?" Lucas asked him. Ted tilted his head to the side, visibly confused. "I mean, has she ever told you _herself_ that it is what she wants ?"

He was about to answer, but stayed silent, his brow furrowed, his eyes vacant, probably searching in his memories for such a thing. "No," he murmured, unsure of himself. "But when Vic said... I mean, her mother, when she talked about it, Brooke didn't say a word."

"That's because she didn't want to upset you." he said with a slight smile.

Ted's eyes widened, shocked by what he was being told. "Wait..." he said, leaning over his desk, "Are you saying that my wife is forcing Brooke to something she doesn't want ?" he asked in a shaking voice.

"It's... It's what I think, yes," he said. "But maybe I'm wrong, I don't know all the details and..."

"No, you're right." he murmured, looking away. "She _is_ forcing her."

He was without doubt very upset by this news, and somehow Lucas knew that if he hadn't been there, Ted would have thrown any object within his reach against a wall. But in front of him, he stayed calm, though somber, and his voice barely raised when he said to him : "Thank you for telling me this. Brooke... She always worries too much about me, and not enough about herself. Has she said anything about what she would really want to do ?"

The first thing that came to his mind was the fashion design school he had found for her, but as he remembered her strange reaction while reading the registration form, he knew something was off. "I think she has something in mind, but I'm not sure what it is."

"Fine," he said with a sigh. "Thanks again for coming here. Did you want to talk about something else ?"

"No," he said, standing up.

Ted walked him back to the front door. As he walked past the living room, Lucas waved at Brooke one last time, then shook Ted's hand, who still looked baffled. "Do you want to eat with us ?"

"No, thanks." he said politely. "My mother is probably waiting for me."

 **Peyton Sawyer**

Peyton was a little late when she came to fetch Brooke that morning, right before heading for school. After a stop at Brooke's locker, they went to hers, while her friend was telling her about the odd night she had spent with father.

"What do you mean, he was weird ?" Peyton asked her with a frown.

"He was... silent." she explained, leaning on the locker next to Peyton's. "He didn't say a word during dinner, and then he went straight to bed. And this morning, the only thing he told me was that he wanted to go to New York this weekend, which means Victoria is not coming."

Peyton looked at her in surprise and opened her locker, searching for the books she needed. "Why ? I thought she was sticking to her new resolutions ?"

"Yeah, but my dad said that he had to talk to her, and that it would be better if I wasn't around." she said, still stunned by her father's words. "It's like... they had a fight." she said with a frown. "Or they're going to."

"I thought your parents never fought ?"

"I know !" she cried a little too loudly. "That's why it's so weird. Even when they don't agree on something, they always find a common ground. Well, my father does."

She thought about what Brooke had just said, about what had happened right before their dinner, and closed her locker, leaning onto it. "What if Lucas said something to him ?"

"What do you mean, something ?" Brooke asked her, confused.

"Well you said they talked in his office, right ? And right after that, your father decides to go to New York..."

Brooke raised her eyebrows, straightening her back, "But they only talked about our meetings, nothing else," she said, sure of herself. "I mean... He didn't say they were gonna talk about anything else."

Peyton felt like her friend tended to trust their new teacher way too much... For someone who was usually wary around everyone new in her life, she was seriously acting out of character when it came to Lucas.

"Anyway, that means my house is empty this weekend," she continued with a bright smile. "So you can come whenever you want."

"Brooke," she said with a chuckle, "I don't need an invitation, I'm already there half of the time."

"Yup, but I've also invited the rest of the cheerleaders."

Why would she... Oh, of course. They were already in April, which only left them with a few weeks before Charlotte's tournament. "You want us to train during the whole weekend ?" she asked in dismay.

"And why not ? I'm not getting robbed of that trophy this year again, and it's my last chance to get it !"

"You mean, our last chance," she corrected with a grin.

"Yeah, sure."

"Brooke, there's still a long month before the competition !"

"All the more reason to get to work now."

"What's in a month ?"

Peyton looked over her shoulder to see that Julian was right behind them. He greeted them with his usual grin, then repeated his question, full of curiosity.

"We have a cheerleading contest, and Brooke would like to win, this time."

"Will win." she corrected before glancing at Julian, a glint of malice in her eyes. "Hey, why don't you come with us ? I have to ask Whitey, but he won't say no, he always allows his players to bring one of their friends."

This invitation first surprised, then delighted Julian, who cheerfully accepted.

"But..." Peyton said, slowing down a bit, "he has no reason to be there."

"We can tell the Coach that he's filming the whole thing." she retorted.

"That's a great idea," Julian told her. "And Mouth is going to."

"Great, I'll tell him then !" Brooke cried happily.

Peyton had to wait a few seconds for Julian to take another hallway, and once she was alone with her friend again, she asked her what was going on with her. "First you invite him to lunch with us," she said with a frown. "And now, Charlotte ? Since when do you get along with him ? I thought you said he was hiding something ?"

Not that Brooke's sudden change of mind bothered her, but it wasn't very brookish. She never changed her opinion on people so easily, she was usually extremely stubborn. "I guess I was suspicious for nothing," she said with a shrug. "And I think inviting him to Charlotte is a nice way to apologize for my... hostility."

"That's it ?"

"Erm, yes, why ?"

"I don't know..." she sighed, a little flustered. "It's just that you sound like... like you're into him."

Brooke immediately froze, staring at her with astonishment. "No..." she murmured with a grin. "Why, are you actually jealous ?"

A little, yes. Thankfully, she always thought before speaking. "No," she said, although knowing that Brooke wouldn't buy it at all. "But I just thought you were still thinking of... you know who." She couldn't say his name, not with so many people around them to listen on them. "Aren't you ?"

Brooke looked over their shoulders, then whispered to her : "I've never thought of going out with him." she said with a sigh. "He is our teacher."

"I don't think that's a big problem, you could hide." she retorted. "Honestly the fact that he's Nathan's brother would be more of a problem."

"No", she sighed, "the real problem is that... He'll never see me like that, so I can't fantasize on him, it would be pointless."

"Come on B., you haven't even tried..."

"And I'm not about to," she said on a firm tone, putting an end to this discussion. Peyton couldn't help but think it was such a waste, certain that it wouldn't take much for Lucas to see her as something more than just a student. But apparently, she wasn't ready to hear that. "And honestly things are better this way." she added. "Imagine Nathan's reaction, he would go nuts."

"True," she murmured, all the while thinking her friend was not being entirely honest.

 **Nathan Scott**

 _Shit._

The Coach was shouting at him, again. Nathan didn't recall ever receiving this much scolding from the old man. He wasn't mad at him for that, since he was completely right to lash out at him. Ten straight minutes without scoring once was an excellent reason to be furious. Especially when a member of the school board was paying them a surprise visit to make sure that the use of a certain substitute teacher was not entirely useless.

Whitey had tried to make him leave, but Dan Scott, true to form, wouldn't listen. If he took the time to come here, that meant he was not leaving until his curiosity was satisfied.

The Coach had eventually given in and told him to stay, on the strict condition that he should not be a pain in the ass. Nathan had inwardly smiled, pleased that there was at least one person in this town who had the guts to talk to him like that.

He wasn't fooling anyone. Everyone knew why he had come, and noticed how he kept watching his other son, the one he hadn't talked to in nineteen years. Dan wanted to know how Lucas was doing... But why ? Why would he treat him like his little protégé when he had never cared for him in years, setting aside the meager pension he had once given to Karen on a monthly basis, until she had refused to take any of his money. He still couldn't fathom where all this enthusiasm for Lucas came from, when his legitimate son was right under his nose...

Whitey's whistle echoed violently in the gym, giving them all a five minute break. But instead of going back to his teammates who were most probably talking about the cheerleaders training at the other side of the gym, Nathan stayed where he was, rooted to the spot in front of the hoop that seemed to be mocking him for a while now, and wondered what the hell was wrong with him. Why was he so nervous when Dan was around ?

He heard footsteps behind him squeaking on the wooden floor, and with a quick glance over his shoulder saw that Lucas had joined him. For some reason, he didn't seem upset at all by Dan's arrival. Nathan hadn't even noticed any reaction from him; he was not looking at Dan at all. It's like there was no one on the bleachers, no one watching his every move.

"I don't need your advice," Nathan murmured, trying to avoid any conversation with him, the way he had so far.

"I haven't said anything yet."

"I don't care, I don't want to..."

"Ha, so you wanna keep screwing things up in front of your father ?" Lucas cut him off, annoyed.

Nathan turned around to face him, "I don't care if he's here !"

"Yeah, right," he said, rolling his eyes. "I may not know you very well, but I know for a fact that you do give a damn that Dan is here."

"Mind your own business," he murmured, fixating his eyes on the hoop.

He had expected Lucas to leave him be, but had apparently underestimated his tenacity. Nathan felt a strong pressure on his right shoulder, and a second later, Lucas made him spin through ninety degrees, forcing him to face him again. He kept pushing on his shoulder and Nathan, looking into his brother's eyes, realized he had never looked as impressive as now.

"Listen to me now," he whispered in a sharp tone. "Do you want to win your championship ?"

"Yes."

"Then you better stop thinking about what others think of you, and start trusting your team, or else you won't go very far."

Lucas released him from his hands, letting him step back. "I do trust them !"

"Maybe." he admitted, "but you don't show them enough."

He raised his eyebrows, surprised. Did he mean that he wasn't very demonstrative ? Nathan then thought of their last games, trying to remember moments when his team could have felt left behind. "If you say so..." he murmured, lowering his head.

"And one last thing. I told you this already, you're not steady on your feet. Bend your knees a bit and things will get better."

Nathan looked up at him, waiting to see him walk away; instead, Lucas hesitated for a moment, then walked closer to him and gave him a friendly tap on the shoulder. Then he left.

"He didn't come to see me," Nathan told him as he was stepping away. "He came for you."

Lucas spun around, taken aback by this, "Dan ? Why would he do that ?"

"I don't know, it's like when..." he stopped, shaking his head. "No, never mind."

Lucas didn't insist and went back to the Coach. Nathan faced the hoop once again, bent down to grab a ball lying at his feet and got ready to shoot. Right before he threw his ball, he recalled what Lucas had just told him and decided to follow his advice.

The ball went in with baffling ease.

 **Brooke Davis**

Brooke hurriedly laced her shoes, knowing that Peyton was already waiting for her out of the gym to drop her off at the Café before going home. She rushed out of the locker room and found her friend sitting on her car hood, patiently waiting for her. On their way, she told Brooke she had to hurry, their troupe was gathering at her place tonight, and if she wasn't there in ten minutes, she would find them all sitting on her driveway.

Once at the Café, Brooke went behind the counter and greeted Karen, before putting on her apron. When she came back to her post, Peyton was still there, finishing a coffee she had gotten herself.

"There you go," she told her, handing her a note, "see you tomorrow !"

"Yup," Brooke said with a smile. "Will Julian be there too ?"

"Yeah..." she said, confused. "I told you that every one is coming."

She went to the exit, while Brooke was opening the cash register. "Don't fool around !" she cried with a chuckle.

When she closed the register and looked up, she saw that Peyton had frozen. She made a U-turn and strode towards her, an annoyed look on her face. "What's going on ?" she asked her with a frown. "What are you not telling me ?"

"Nothing ! Just go home, they're probably waiting for you already." she said as innocently as she could.

"Don't even try to lie to me, Davis, you can't do it." she said, before adding, "Except when it's about your feelings. But that's not the point."

"It was just a joke, Peyton," she said with a shrug, "I'm in a good mood today, can't I ?"

Peyton stared at her with suspicion, then sighed and nodded, as if she was accepting this answer for now.

She was relieved to see her leave the place, certain that it wouldn't have taken much to get her to talk about Julian. She was also glad to see Nathan come in right when Peyton was leaving.

He dragged his feet to the counter, where he slumped down on a bar stool.

"How was your day ?" he asked her in a tired voice.

"Better than your training."

"I know, I sucked." he said, making a face.

"No, you didn't suck, you just..." she started before seeing that he wasn't buying it. "Fine, you were awful. But then you got better !"

He sighed, then straightened up. "Yeah, right when I started listening to Lucas."

"Wow, you're making progress," she said with a satisfied smile.

"Why ?"

"You just said his name and you don't look like you're about to puke."

He grinned, then asked her if he could get something to eat, anything at all as long as it was edible. She gave him the first piece of cake that she found, and said to him, hoping to lift his spirits, "Don't worry about Friday, you'll definitely win."

"Whitey's worried, not me," he corrected. "He's convinced that we're gonna lose this."

"I thought you were leading ?" she asked, confused.

"Yes, but only by three points. He thinks it's not enough... that we could do better."

"And what do you prefer ?"

"I don't care, as long as we get to win."

She gave him an amused smile, convinced that no matter what he said, he surely preferred to win on a tight score. It was more thrilling that way.

"So what's up with that New York thing ?" he asked him between two bites of cake. "Are you seriously going ?"

"It's my mom, she wants me to..."

"But are you going ?"

She looked down at her hands, thinking back of the papers her mother had brought with her, then to the ones Lucas had found for her. She felt bad about lying to him, but she couldn't do otherwise. When he had asked her what she wanted to do, she hadn't dared to tell him the truth, afraid that he might find it foolish. So she had blurted out the first thing that had come to her mind. Well, if anyone else had asked her that question, she might have answered truthfully, but not with Lucas. No way. Which didn't prevent her to be genuinely touched by his gesture.

"Why are you giving me a goofy smile instead of an answer ?" Nathan asked her, bringing her back to reality.

"I... I was thinking of something else. And no, I'm not going to New York. I haven't told my mother yet, but I will... When I see her."

"And when will that be ?"

"How the heck I am supposed to know ?" she cried, furrowing her brow. "Can we change the subject ?"

"Sure," he said, a little surprised. "No need to shout, I was just asking."

"Well I'll tell you when I know."

Nathan shrugged, then grinned at her mockingly, "I think you're developing anger-management issues. You should talk to Dan about it."

"Speaking of, I can't believe he really came... I never thought he would."

"I'm not surprised." he said with a shrug. "He almost always sticks to his plans."

"Almost ?"

He was probably about to give her an example, but stayed silent, and said offhandedly, "You're

not the only one with an absentee parent..." He sighed, looked over his shoulder, "You've got clients waiting for you."

She looked behind him and saw that he was right. "Are you staying ?" she asked, standing up from her stool.

"No, I have to meet my mom," he said, standing up too, "she asked me to help her with..."

He stopped when they heard the doorbell ring; straight after, Lucas was coming in. Nathan hesitated for a bit, then eventually told her that his mother was waiting for him. After a peck on her cheek, he quickly left, avoiding to look at his brother.

Brooke tied her hair into a ponytail and went to the clients who were waiting for her. Once she had taken care of them, she turned to go to her usual spot, but got stopped in her tracks when she saw that Lucas was there. She walked to the counter to sit right where Nathan had been a few minutes ago.

"Seems like things are getting better with Nathan," she told him with a smile.

"We're headed in the right direction," he replied, "well, I hope we are."

"I saw you talk during training."

"And I saw you do cartwheels."

For a second, his gaze changed to become more... More something. She didn't know what, and she was probably wrong. She couldn't start imagining things, not now... "We have to train real hard." she said with a shrug.

"Why ?"

"There's not only a basket ball competition in Charlotte," she said with a smile, "there's also a..."

"Ah !" he cut her off with a grin, "right, I remember now. My girlfriend used to talk about it all the time..."

"Your girlfriend ?" she asked, straightening her back. "She was a cheerleader ?"

"Yup, she was even their captain. Her name was Morgan." he said with nostalgic eyes.

"Wait, Morgan..." she repeated, trying to remember where she had heard that name. "Wait a second. Are you talking about Morgan Spencer ?"

"You know her ?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

She had to hold back a shriek. "I've never met her, but this girl is a legend in school !" she said with astonishment. "And you went out with her ?"

He chuckled, then gave her a nod. "For several months. Wow, I haven't thought of her in years now... She was a senior and two years older than me. We dated for... five or six months."

"So why did she break up with you ?" she asked, her interest aroused.

"I'm the one who broke up." he said, pretending to be offended.

"NO WAY !" she shouted, startling all the clients. She gave them an apologetic smile, before facing Lucas again. "But why would you do that ?" she said in a whisper.

He laughed again, then shook his head, "I don't know, she was just... Too bubbly. I thought it was cute at first, but she was easily exuberant. And she could be very mean to the people she didn't know. I remember that my team-mates hated me when I dumped her."

"And have you met her after that ?"

"No, why would I ?" he asked, a bit startled. "I haven't met most of my high school friends since graduation, so..."

"Oh... And you other girlfriends, were they all that popular ?"

He crossed his arms on the counter, a lopsided smile forming on his lips. "What makes you think that I had several ?"

"Please," she said, rolling her eyes. "You were captain of the basketball team, of course you had many girlfriends."

"Nathan doesn't."

"Yeah, but he didn't want to date any – too many girls. So, any other girl ?"

He had noticed her slip, she knew it. From the way his look had changed when she had hesitated and changed her sentence, she knew he had noticed something. But he didn't point it out, and instead answered her question : "There were a few, yes, but we never dated for more than a month."

"Ha. So you were a player then ?" she asked, surprised.

"I wouldn't go that far." he said with a grin.

"And after you graduated ?"

"Miss Davis, you're very nosy tonight," he said, raising an eyebrow.

"But.." she mumbled awkwardly, "there's no other client and I'm bored and..."

"Fine," he cut her off with a quiet laugh, "I don't mind telling you. It was pretty much the same after high school, nothing really serious. And now that my private life has been splashed out more than any papers ever did... How about you dish out too, huh ?"

Seeing where this conversation was headed to, she swiftly got up, mumbling that she absolutely had to go back to work.

"Oh come on !" he cried half-indignant, half-amused.

She ignored him and went straight to clean a table that a couple had just left. She had barely wiped it once when she heard again, "Come on !". She jumped, having not expected him to be so close to her and spun around; he was right behind her, towering above her.

She stepped on the side, and went on with clearing the table. "How old are you again ?"

"There's no age for curiosity." he said with a boyish grin.

"In case you forgot, you already tried to have this kind of conversation with me, and I didn't say anything. Why do you think I would now ?"

"You tell me."

She glanced at him, taken aback. He might have said that on a playful tone, his face was very serious. Brooke had a nervous laugh, looking away from his gaze, and rushed to the counter to empty her tray. Lucas followed her, and sat across from her, staying silent while she was cleaning her tray.

"Fine," she sighed. She looked back at him; he seemed even more interested than two minutes ago. "There's not much to say," she murmured, "I've been dating Nathan for almost two years, and before that..."

"No one else ?"

She didn't have to tell him the truth, or to even answer at all, but something inside her was telling her to be honest with him. "Not really, no. But it doesn't matter."

"Hell no, you can't do that now that my curiosity is awaken." he complained. He bent over the counter to grab a mug, and sat back again, pouring himself a coffee.

"It's just... You know how it is." she said quietly. "The thrill of entering high school, playing with the big ones... I started going to a lot of parties, and I discovered the joys of alcohol. At first, I was only taking a drink or two... but then I went a bit too far." He suddenly looked very serious, as if he finally knew why she didn't want to talk about it. "I went to college parties too... And one night I got hit on by this guy, and... The next morning I woke up in his bedroom, naked, with absolutely no idea on how I had ended up there. I had a massive hangover and no memory of the night. That's when I realized I had to get a grip on myself."

It had been the worst for her father. The poor man had no idea in what state he would find his daughter when she'd come home. But he had let her go to her parties, and after she had calmed down, had admitted to her that as long as she wasn't hurting herself, he didn't mind her sudden change of behavior. He was hoping that it was just a phase, a kind of rite of passage.

"Anyway, after that, rumors started in school," she said, lowering her eyes to her knees. "And then a bunch of guys started approaching me... They all thought I wouldn't mind sleeping around. And some of them were very... persistent."

She raised her eyes to him, checking his reaction; he looked normal, though a little nervous. But thankfully, he didn't seem disappointed at all. "Who are they ?"

"Who ?"

"The guys who harassed you," he said, staring down at his cup, his lips forming a tight line.

"Oh, I don't remember. They were seniors, and it only lasted a few weeks. It all stopped when I went out with Nathan."

 **Lucas Scott**

He had already had déjà-vu feelings since he had come back to his high school, which was quite normal. A bustling hallway full of students, a familiar classroom, the locker that had been his for four long years... A series of flashback coming and going, every time with a hint of nostalgia.

Tonight was a bit different. It was as if he had gone back in time to four years ago, and had come for a Friday night game with his team. Well, more like five years, since he hadn't played much after that.

The bleachers were full up, cheering at their players as if they were heroes, invited to make even more noise by the cheerleaders. And the sound of the ball bouncing on the gym floor, it exhilarated him.

He was nostalgic, yes, but also a bit sad. It was a sadness he hadn't felt in a long time, the same one that had accompanied him when he had been told that he couldn't play anymore, that he would never be a professional player. Of course, since then, he had grown used to that idea, but seeing these students play in front of him, in this very same gym, had awaken something in him, a feeling he had buried deep inside of him when he had left Tree Hill.

Lucas tried not to get overwhelmed by his emotions and focused on the game playing out in front of him. During the first quarter, the Ravens had been almost perfect. Nathan had showed a great team spirit that even surprised Whitey. He didn't know if he was responsible for this sudden change, with what he had told him two days ago, and it didn't matter at all. All that mattered was that his team was on fire.

He then remembered what Brooke had said, that they were slowly reconnecting. Lucas had never thought of it before, but maybe basketball was the best way for them to get along ? Now that he realized that, he wondered how he had not figured it out all this time. It sounded so obvious now !

He jumped up from his bench when the Coach burst out in a cry of rage, when an opposite player pushed one of theirs to the floor. He had seen the scene himself and it was nothing big, but the Coach was so excited that he was overreacting at every little foul. It made him smile, thinking back at the time when Whitey had told him that he tended to fall asleep during their games.

At half-time, a new wave of memories shook him when they all went to the lockers for Whitey's speech. A positive speech, but not too praising so that they wouldn't slack off. When they all left the room, Lucas stayed behind since they still had five minutes of break, just the time he needed to call Lindsay; he had just noticed the four missed call on his phone.

Lucas was a little nervous to call her, for it was the first time they would talk since he had sent her the first half of his book, earlier this week. He really wanted her to tell him that it was promising, and that he should keep writing this story...

She picked up after a single ring, and his anxiety suddenly took over, pushing him to spurt out the question that was burning his lips.

"So, do you hate it ?"

He heard her burst into a loud laugh, which immediately reassured him. He finally relaxed and sat down on the nearest bench. "Are you kidding ? Luke, I absolutely love it !"

"Great," he sighed with relief. "Now all I have to do is write the other half."

"You're really impressive, you know that ?" she said with pride. "You try something completely new to you and... you brilliantly manage it !"

"You think ?" he asked, wondering if she wasn't amplifying things a bit.

"I'm telling you, this is great stuff," she said with a laugh. "Good thing you found a muse, huh ?"

His anxiety gave way to confusion; what was she talking about now ? "What muse ?"

"Oh, Luke," she said with a sigh. "Now that I've read it, you don't have to play innocent."

"No seriously," he insisted, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I'm talking about Philae."

"Philae ?" he repeated with a frown. "What's wrong with my main character ?"

"Nothing, she's great. Except for her name maybe, where did that come from ?"

Ah, he knew they would have this argument. Lucas hadn't thought twice about that name : it was the name of an Egyptian island he had visited during his trip, a marvelous place that had dazzled him. Plus he thought it was a beautiful name for a girl.

"I checked," he replied, "it is a first name. And I'm warning you, I'm not changing it."

"Alright, alright," she bitterly surrendered. "Then Philae it is. But back to my point, Luke, doesn't she remind you of anyone ?"

"No..." he said, thinking about it. "Who ?"

"Well, I don't know, maybe... your little padawan ?"

"My what ? Wait, you mean Brooke ?" he asked, surprised. "No, no, Brooke has nothing to do with..."

He stopped for a second; Lindsay wasn't saying this for nothing, or just to tease him. She had only seen Brooke for a short weekend, so there must have been a good reason for her to think that way.

"Ah, finally," she said in a satisfied tone, "do you get it now ? Lucas, the way you describe her... It's not a spitting image of Brooke, but it still gets very close to it. A lot. I mean, she's even a waitress during her high school years !"

Lucas wanted to sit down, but realized he was already sitting. Then he thought about Philae and her appearance at the end of high school; she was a pretty brunette, with a cheerful but striking gaze, a ravishing smile that only meant to hide a deep vulnerability, and...

"Fuck." he breathed out, running his hand through his hair.

"It's okay," she said with a kind voice. "You just have to ask for her permission and we'll write at the beginning of the book that..."

"No, Linds, that's not the problem here," he cut her off, his voice quavering. "I didn't know. I didn't even realize it."

Something was wrong with him... How could he have not noticed ? "Oh," his friend told him. "Well, Luke," she said with a hint of a smile, "looks like you fell for her big time."

"Wait," he said, furrowing his brow, "you think I'm in love with her ?"

"Well for someone who's not in love, you care a great deal about her."

"But she's a student, I can't..."

"You can't go out with her," she said, "that's for sure, but you can't control your feelings either."

He stayed speechless for several seconds. Yes, he felt close to Brooke. Yes, he had quickly gotten attached to her, and thought of her as more than just a student. And apparently he had also found in her a great source of inspiration. And yes, hearing her talk about her drunken accident with a college student had made him regret ever asking her about it. But was that enough to say that he loved her ? No, no, he just couldn't...

"What am I gonna do now ?" he asked, panicking. "I can't..."

He jumped when he heard a noise, not through the phone, but near to him. Lucas turned around to see that Nathan was leaning against the locker room doors, pallid and stunned at the same time.

Since when was he there ? Had he heard... everything ?

"Gotta go," he murmured to Lindsay before hanging up. His eyes kept staring at his brother, who still hadn't moved an inch. "Nath –"

"Coach's waiting for you," Nathan quietly said.

He didn't sound upset, but his death stare could only mean one thing... He had definitely heard him.

 **Brooke Davis**

She hadn't shaken her pom-poms that way in a long time. The first half of the game had been terrific for the Ravens, and Nathan, from what she had heard near the bleachers, had been impressive.

But when they came back for the third quarter... Something had changed. It was like all their work so far was being destroyed, and for some reason Nathan seemed... pissed. But she didn't see why that would be the case, especially after the first half they had just done. And yet, every minute passing by convinced her that she was right. After three minutes, he started committing fouls. One, two, three... And five. And eventually, he got disqualified, ,and spent the rest of the game sitting on the substitutes' bench.

Brooke couldn't figure out what was going on, not with the ruckus coming from the bleachers, with every spectator booing or whistling at the referee, who was really just doing his job. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Nathan; he stayed on his bench, his head lowered, not speaking to anyone. He didn't look up, and thus didn't see the opposite team win almost every point, eventually beating them.

That was the main topic of conversation in their changing room; what had happened to Nathan during half-time ? They all asked Brooke if she knew something, even asked her if they had broken up. She told them she had no idea what was going on but one thing was sure, it had nothing to do with her.

As usual, she was the last one to leave the room, "You think the party's still on ?" she asked Peyton, who had stayed behind for her.

They went out, when most of the girls were already in their own cars.

"Tim's hosting," Peyton said with a shrug, "I don't think he'll cancel it simply because we lost. Nathan, though... He's probably going straight home."

Brook nodded, and they both sat down on the low wall surrounding the gym, waiting for Nathan to come out.

"Julian was there," Brooke told her, as casually as she could.

"I know, I told him to come."

"And... Is he coming to the party too ?"

"Rachel invited him."

She turned to her, surprised. "Rachel ? You think she's into him ?

"Oh no," Peyton said with a chuckle. "It's Mouth that she wants, she invited him too."

"Mouth ?"

They both looked at the double doors when they heard the first members of the team come out, but there was no sign of Nathan. Even the Coach eventually passed by them, talking with Lucas. Brooke was glad not to be in his place; she had never seen Whitey this furious before.

Peyton gave her a slight nudge, and with a head movement motioned to their right; she looked in that direction, and saw that Lucas was looking at them, his pace slowing down, unbeknownst do Whitey. When he saw her looking back at him, he gave her a shy smile that she was not used to. She didn't have time to think about what that meant, for he quickly looked behind them, at the gym doors and ran off, catching up with the Coach and his ranting.

"What's up with him ?" Peyton asked her.

"I have no idea."

Nathan was finally coming out of there. He looked surprised to see them, and quickly walked up to them as they stood up from their seats. Thankfully, she couldn't see any sign of anger on his face; he looked like he had calmed down.

"What are you still doing here ?"

"We were waiting for you," Brooke told him, an eyebrow raised. "Are you coming to the party ?"

Nathan didn't answer right away, but instead, for some reason, stared at his brother who was already reaching his car. "Nate, are you okay ?" Peyton asked him.

"Yeah," he said in an unusual low voice. He then turned to them, looking decided, "Fine, I'm coming too."

"We didn't think you would," she said, walking away from the gym, followed by Brooke.

Brooke noticed the side glance that Nathan was shooting at her. She thought he was about to say something to her, but he simply said to Peyton, "I don't know... I think it's better if I stick around."

* * *

So... Looks like I managed to finish this in time ! I worked a little faster than usual, so I hope the translation is correct. Thank you for all your reviews, I hope you liked this one too.

You now know where the title comes from, it's a story I read a long time ago, I've always thought it was beautiful and always wanted to use it in a story.

And in case you're wondering, Philae does come from an Egyptian island and has nothing to do with the space robot of the same name, I wrote this story way before it was launched !

Next chapter will come around next thursday or friday, I think. You'll know more about Victoria... And Nathan goes a little nuts.

Thanks again for reading :)


	9. Piece of my heart

**PIECE OF MY HEART**

 **Nathan Scott**

It was as if all of a sudden, every student who had been in the gym earlier was now suffering from amnesia. None of them seemed to remember the crushing defeat their team had just endured, and they were all carelessly enjoying the party Tim had organized for them. Nathan looked around him, and suddenly wished he had just gone home after their catastrophic game.

He hadn't thought for a second that they would take such a beating, at least not at the end of the first half. It was full of confidence that he had gone to the locker room to listen to the Coach's usual speech. He had then left to warm up, and Whitey had asked him to get Lucas back; the second half was about to start. Nathan had figured he was probably still in the locker room and had gone back there. He had been right, and was about to tell him to come back, but stopped when he saw that he was on the phone.

He had thus decided to leave him alone and to come back later but he had heard Brooke's name in his talk. Curious, he had stayed back, behind the half-closed door, pricking up his ears.

He couldn't hear every single word, but the bits he heard were enough for him to figure out what was going on. Lucas thought that... No, he _was_ in love with Brooke. He hadn't even said he liked her, no, he was straight out in love with her !

The worst part was, he wasn't even doing that on purpose to annoy him, since Nathan wasn't supposed to hear that conversation. Which meant Lucas was being completely genuine. But that didn't mean he wasn't outraged, far from it.

Why did it have to be her ? There were so many other women he could get, but in the end, it had to be Brooke ? His Brooke ? No, there was no way he would let such a thing happen ! And he was her teacher ! He was older than her too, wasn't he supposed to consider her as teenager only, and nothing more ?

And now, what was he supposed to do ? For now, all he wanted to do was to shout at him. And throw a few chairs to his face. But it would be useless, and that was why when Lucas had noticed and understood that he had heard him, he had stayed silent. He had taken all his anger out on the field, had committed enough fouls to get disqualified from this game, and had spent the rest of the game on the bench. Which, now that he thought about it, was also utterly useless.

But what else could he do ? Talk to Lucas about it ? No. Tell Brooke ? Well...

He was probably supposed to tell her, but didn't want to, at all. Even if he was convinced that Brooke didn't have any feelings for Lucas, he wasn't stupid, and he had seen how they had gotten closer to each other thanks to their working together at the Café (and now that he thought about it, Lucas' shifts strangely often matched with Brooke's). What if, after telling her what he had heard, Brooke realized that she had some kind of feelings for Lucas ? Not that it would happen, but... He'd rather not take the risk. And from what he knew of Lucas, he would never tell Brooke about his feelings, too scared to get fired from school or worse, sued by Ted.

"There you go."

Nathan looked up, and saw that Tim had silently approached him. He reached out a hand to grab the drink he was given, while his friend was crouching down next to him.

"What are you doing ?"

"You think I'm sitting next to your fireplace for fun ?" he retorted curtly.

"Are you pissed because of the game ?" he asked, his brow furrowed.

"I don't know Tim, what else could it be ?"

Tim sighed, showing a first sign of annoyance, which pleased Nathan who only wanted one single thing, and that was to be left alone.

"Do you have to answer by questions ?"

"And you, do you have to ask them ?"

"You're such an ass when we lose," he bitterly mumbled before standing up and quickly walking away from him. Nathan wasn't worried about that, though, he knew that on Monday, Tim and him would talk as if nothing had happen. The only difference would be that he would avoid talking about the game, until the Coach himself would talk about it.

He had barely touched his drink, looking at the flames next to him, when he heard someone else talk to him. It was Julian, that weird but funny guy who was now often hanging out with Peyton, and with whom he had shared a bunch of lunches. He had apparently asked him something, but with the incredibly loud music that was echoing in the room, he hadn't heard a word he said. Julian seemed to understand that, for he crouched down like Tim had before him, and repeated his question.

"Have you seen Mouth ?"

"Yeah. But if I were you, I'd stop looking."

"Why ?" he asked, puzzled.

"I saw him about ten minutes ago. He was going upstairs with Rachel."

Julian had a lopsided smile, and nodded.

"Do you mind if I sit here ? I don't know anyone here."

Nathan didn't hesitate for long, thinking that Julian wasn't the kind to get on his nerves.

He had been right, for Julian didn't utter a word in the next minutes, allowing Nathan to peacefully get back to his thoughts. But then he noticed how Julian had been looking towards a group of girls for a while now, and smiled, slightly amused.

"You shouldn't beat around the bush." Julian turned to him, surprised by this comment. "Peyton," Nathan explained. "She prefers straight-forward people."

He was amused to see Julian blush, and clumsily mumble : "I don't know why you say that."

"I'm not blind, you know," he said with a chuckle.

Julian eventually shrugged, though still embarrassed. Then he seemed to recall something, and it was his turn to smile at him : "Then allow me give you the same advice."

"Trust me, I'm not interested in that kind of relationship with her !" he cried with a laugh.

"Maybe not her, but definitely with Haley." He managed to shut him up. How did he know ? "I'm not blind either." Julian said with a smile. "I've seen the way you look at her when we all have lunch together."

"Is it that obvious ?" he asked, panicking a bit.

"No... Not really," he said with a shrug, as if to reassure him. "It's just that I happened to notice it."

Nathan put his drink down in front of him, sighing with relief. He glanced at Brooke and wondered if she had noticed too... If she really had, she would have asked him about it long ago.

"Don't worry though," Julian added, "no one will prevent you to get closer to her."

Nathan raised his eyebrows, confused; Julian seemed to have forgotten that he was "dating" Brooke. He got even more surprised when Julian didn't seem to understand his confusion, until Nathan motioned to the opposite corner of the room, where Brooke was standing. Julian raised his eyebrows, finally remembering her existence.

"Oh, sure," he mumbled awkwardly, "I don't know how I could forget..."

Nathan stared at him for a moment, looking out for any sign of nervousness, and found an array of them : quivering voice, shifty eyes, sweaty hands...

"You know," he murmured, stunned. Julian probably knew that lying would be a waste of time, and nodded silently. "How ?" he asked in disbelief.

"I heard them talk about you, by accident."

"But... Do they know that you know ?"

"Yes. But I swear I haven't told anyone," he immediately said, "and I won't." Nathan frowned for a second, but didn't stay long on the defensive, since, for some reason, Julian seemed like a trustworthy person, even if he didn't know him that much. "I don't get it, though", he murmured with hesitation, "what are you waiting for ? With Haley, I mean."

He didn't have to tell him. But apparently Julian was the only one with whom he could freely talk about this. "I have a pact with Brooke," he explained, taking his drink in his hand. "We only end our deal if one of us falls in love with someone. Anyone."

"But then..."

"That was the initial pact," he cut him off. "But back then, I didn't know her at all, and know I do, and... I know she'll feel abandoned if I tell her the truth. Even if we don't love each other, romantically speaking, she'll definitely be upset."

"So you're stuck ?"

"In theory, yes," he sighed, "unless she finds someone too."

Julian nodded thoughtfully, then looked a little confused. "What do you mean, in theory ?"

"It's... Haley, you know ?" he said, unable to hold back a smile. "She's just so... She's amazing, and I feel like I can't afford any mistake with her, and waiting too much would be one."

"So," Julian quietly summarized, "you mean that for her, you'd be ready to leave Brooke right now ?"

Nathan stealthily looked at the source of his problems, who was now talking with another group, looking completely carefree. "Yeah," he admitted with a bit of shame.

"Then I guess the best case scenario is, she finds someone too, very soon."

"Which is not happening," he said defeatedly. "I don't think she's even looking for a boyfriend..."

"Right..." Julian said with a sympathetic face. "Hey, maybe there's still a chance." he added, his face brightening.

Nathan straightened his back, puzzled. "How ?"

"Well, if she keeps meeting her teacher every night, maybe she'll date him." he said as a joke.

"Lucas ?" Nathan asked, surprised. "No, they only meet when they work together, not every night. And he's still her teacher."

Julian was about to say something, but changed his mind and stayed silent, his lost gaze furtively landing on Brooke. His eyes slightly widened, and he turned to Nathan : "Of course. I... I got confused."

Again, it didn't take long for Nathan to realize that no, he was not confused, and that was once again, he was clumsily trying to hide something from him. For a short second, Nathan thought that the boy sitting next to him was so honest that he had no idea how Peyton had not noticed his feelings for her already. But very quickly, he went back to the main subject, his anxiety rising up : "They're seeing each other every night ?"

How could that be possible ? Brooke didn't work at the Café every night, especially now that Haley was working there too, so how could they meet ? They had no reason to. "No, of course they don't."

"Julian, please," he murmured nervously, "I need to know if that's true."

"She going to kill me," Julian said on the same tone, his eyes full of panic. "I can't..."

"Please," he insisted, "I'm just asking for a favour."

Julian looked as if he was torn in two, but kept looking at Nathan, and eventually came to a decision, "Fine, he said reluctantly. "They meet twice a week in a library in town. All I know is that they talk about books, nothing else. And the only reason why I know that is because they talked about in front of me, how was I supposed to know that you didn't know, huh ?"

"Every night," he repeated, his eyes drifting to the fireplace.

He just couldn't believe it, how could she do this ? When Lucas had come back in town, she had promised not to see him more than necessary... And yet they met every night ?

"Is she..."

"No !" Julian cried and sprang to his feet. "I don't know anything else ! And you have to swear to me that you won't talk to her about it."

"I..." he hesitated, but gave in to Julian's terrified face. "Fine, I won't say a word."

"Good." he said before leaving him alone.

Nathan gulped down his drink, using everything he had not to go to Brooke's side and have a talk with her. If he did that, she would know Julian had talked to him... Surely, the only other person who knew about this was Peyton, and she would have never made such a blunder. So he had to stay silent, otherwise Brooke would jump at Julian's throat.

But it didn't mean he wasn't furious. He was. In the end, keeping Lucas' feelings for himself turned out to be an excellent idea.

 **Brooke Davis**

An aspirin tablet didn't suffice; she took another one, and things remained the same. Her headache was not willing to leave.

If her day had started as planned, it wouldn't have been a problem. She had left Tim's house at 2 am and had thus slept at Peyton's house, intending to sleep until noon, to the least.

However, she had received a phone call that woke her up right before 7 am, from a distraught Deb. Her speech had been out of control, and since Brooke wasn't entirely awake, she hadn't clearly understood what she was telling her : something to do with an aunt, a hospital, Dan... What she did get though, was that no one could stand in for her this morning, except for her.

She had naturally accepted to help her out, but not without a touch of bitterness. But then, she couldn't possibly leave the register unattended, could she ?

Brooke had thus climbed out of Peyton's bed as silently as possible, and had gone home to shower and put on fresh clothes. Before leaving for the Café, she took some homework with her, predicting that she would without doubt be bored at times.

That was why she was behind the counter at 8 am, fighting back her hangover and her crave for sleep, all the while solving algebra problems with one hand, her other hand cupped around a cup of coffee.

The first event that took her out of her grogginess happened around thirty minutes after she had arrived. When the doorbell rang, she looked up from her notebook and got surprised to see Lucas running into the Café, panting as if he had just run a marathon. He seemed even more surprised than her and quickly walked to her.

"What are you doing here ?" he asked her, his breathing still irregular.

"Deb called," she said, a little lost. "But, you... Why are you here ?"

"Oh, great." he breathed out, his head dropping in dismay.

"Is everything alright ?" she asked with a frown.

He looked back at her and sighed again, and seemed to do an ultimate effort to walk around the counter and sit next to her. "I ran like a maniac because I couldn't park around here and I thought no one was here..." he murmured with a quiet laugh.

"But why ?"

"I'm sorry, it's my fault that you're here," he admitted, making a face. "Deb called me and asked me to stand in for her, and when I told her that I went to bed at 4 am she hung up, and she probably thought I was saying no to her..." So she really had come for nothing, then. "I guess she called you after that, and..." he said, taking off his jacket. "Oh, I'm really sorry, you should go home."

"Now that I'm here, I might as well stay." she said with a shrug. "But why were you up until 4 ?"

"Book." he simply answered.

"Ah," she said, holding back a smile, "then you should get back to sleep. I have plenty to keep me busy." she added, motioning to her homework.

He looked at it with an obvious interest that quickly vanished when he saw that she was only writing numbers down, which made her smile.

"Well, sounds like we're gonna have to get along for today, then," he told her with a lopsided smile.

She commanded herself not to read too much into the situation; she could already hear Peyton tell that it was fate bringing them together, but she had to remember that it was just a coincidence. So she tried to focus on her maths, which happened to be a very hard thing to do when he was sitting next to her.

"How was yesterday night ?" he asked her after twenty good minutes of silence filled with homework and waitressing.

"Great. Everyone came, even if we lost..."

She stopped when she saw her phone vibrate over the pile of papers it was resting on. Wondering who could be texting her this early, she got confused to see that it was Nathan asking her how she was, and where she was.

He was acting so weird. At first, his decision to come at the party despite their loss had sounded offbeat, but hey if he wanted to take his mind off it, then sure, why not ? But then, he had spent hours in a lethargic state, sitting near the fireplace with such an apathetic face that Brooke hadn't dared to approach him, especially after witnessing how he had gotten rid of Tim.

She quietly sighed, grabbed her phone and explained to him how his mother had left for an emergency. Two minutes later, he was telling her that he knew about that, Deb had told him everything before leaving, and that was why he wanted to know how she was doing.

She said that she was fine, she wasn't alone so no need to worry, she wasn't going to fall asleep during her shift.

 _Is Lucas with you ?_

She rejoiced, probably a tad too quickly, guessing that if he was asking about his brother it could only mean a good thing, since until not long ago he wouldn't even look at him. That's why she was delighted to tell him that Lucas was indeed with her.

Brooke didn't get any reply, which worried her a little. About ten minutes after that, Nathan was crossing the Café's front door.

What was he doing here ? She had no clue. And for some reason, he didn't come to see her directly, but instead went to sit at the table nearest to the counter, his back facing them. Her confusion growing by the second, she glanced at Lucas who oddly seemed to avoid looking at his brother.

Something had definitely happened between them... Maybe during half-time ? Was that why Nathan had completely messed up his second half ? She stood up and went to his table, intending to tactfully get information from him.

"Hi," she said once she was standing next to him, "why are you up this early ?"

He raised his eyebrows, then shrugged and murmured, "I can't see Dan. Not after what happened yesterday."

"Oh," she said on the same tone, sitting down next to him. "Do you want to talk about it ?"

"No", he said in a strangely cold voice.

She noticed that he had not once looked her in the eyes since he had arrived; instead, his eyes had been riveted over her shoulder, on something or someone that was behind her.

"Nate ?"

"Mmh ?" he replied, absent-mindedly.

It was puzzling : he was right there, next to her on the same seat, and yet... He seemed so distant. Brooke realized that he was indeed staring at someone and quickly turned around to see what was catching his attention.

There was only Lucas; why did he keep staring at him that way ? Maybe... Maybe he wanted to tell him something, but what ? And why couldn't he just go talk to him directly ? Unless... He was embarrassed by his attitude so far with his brother ?

"You want me to talk to him for you ?" she asked softly.

His gaze abruptly landed on her, and Brooke saw that he was angry. She had been wrong, then ? "No." he firmly said before glaring back at Lucas.

Brooke crossed her arms against her chest, wondering how long it would take for him to go back to his usual state, her patience wearing off. She was about to stand up, but Nathan broke out of his trance right in time to grab her shoulders, preventing her to leave his side. "For God's sake, Nate, what is going o–"

She had expected a lot of reactions from him : to yell, to laugh, or even to just talk to her. Instead, he took her aback in the most efficient way : he quickly leaned over her and kissed her.

Why ?

That was the first thing coming to her mind. Why was he kissing her ?

She immediately pulled away and was about to ask him what the hell was going on, but then she noticed that he was still stubbornly staring at Lucas.

Now, she was completely lost; and before she even tried to understand the situation, he cupped her face and threw himself on her lips.

By instinct, Brooke tried to pull away once again, but felt his hands tighten around her cheeks, holding her steady. She tried to talk to him, to ask him why he was doing this, but her lips were locked and the only sound she managed to emit was a muffled frightened noise. When she realized that the one in front of her was definitely not Nathan, at least not the Nathan she had learnt to know these past years, she struggled with all her strength, eventually biting hard on his lower lip, a rush of adrenaline coursing through her body.

He let out a small cry of pain and finally let her go; still struggling to break free, she hadn't expected him to push her away like this, and lost her balance. Brooke landed on her bottom, right next to the seat where Nathan was still sitting. Though every one of her limbs was shaking and the only thing she wanted to do right now was to run away from here as fast as possible, she found herself to be paralysed, staring at Nathan as if he had turned completely mad. He seemed distraught, and kept looking at the floor with great insistence.

Brooke then felt hands pressing on her shoulders and almost shrieked; but when she heard a familiar and soothing voice whisper to her hear, she got a hold of herself and stayed silent. She didn't really get what Lucas was telling her, her mind was sill too foggy for that, but she let him help her up. She was still shaking, her vision blurring, and didn't wait another second to leave, trying not to notice the clients who were looking at her with concern.

 **Lucas Scott**

Brooke walked past him and rushed to the kitchen, avoiding his gaze. Lucas then turned to face Nathan, his anger rapidly rising. "What are you still doing here ?" he asked him curtly. Nathan looked as if he was going to say something back, probably on the same tone, but stayed silent nonetheless. "Scram." he said in a low voice, gesturing toward the door.

Every trace of anger that had been lingering on Nathan's face immediately vanished, and he was somehow relieved to see that Nathan looked very guilty. He stood up from his seat and strode to the door, his head lowered to the ground.

Lucas sighed, relieved that he hadn't had to get him out himself in front of their customers, nor to raise his voice. They had already seen enough for today...

However he quickly realized that he was wrong, when he noticed that everyone around him was looking down at their tables. They had probably done the same for the past five minutes, if only out of consideration for Brooke. Most of them came here every week and had thus known her for a while, which explained their discretion.

Lucas went back to his stool, wondering where Brooke had gone ; probably not too far, she would not want to see his mother now. Either she was in the restroom, or the storage room.

In any case, even if he was dying to see her right now, he couldn't. Not because he wanted to keep an eye on his clients, he couldn't care less about that right now. But he was starting to know her , and he thought she would probably want to stay alone for now.

Yet he wished he could know what the hell had just happened. He had seen it all from his seat, but still didn't understand any of it.

At first, he had tried not to look at them when Brooke had sat next to Nathan. Especially when he had noticed how Nathan was staring at him, with a disturbing insistence. But then he had grown tired of Nathan's silent glare and had stared back at him.

He got why Nathan had glared at him that way. It was the same reason why he had completely messed up his second half, yesterday night. He had heard him talk about Brooke to Lindsay... Lucas could have gone to talk to him and tell him that he had misunderstood, but... Nathan would definitely know he was lying, so what would be the point ? He could also try to tell him that he didn't need to worry, that he would never try anything with Brooke considering all the obstacles between them, Nathan being the major one, but Nathan already knew all that.

What he couldn't understand no matter how hard he thought about it, was Brooke's reaction when Nathan had kissed her. How could she be so surprised and... Scared, there was really no other word to describe it, when they had been dating for two years now ? And now that he thought about it... When had he ever seen them kissing ? Even at school, they barely held hands...

Maybe she was extremely bashful ? Mmh... No. She definitely wasn't. But he couldn't find another explanation, unless... Maybe it had to do with these other times when he had actually wondered whether they were truly a loving couple. The only way to know that for sure was to ask either of them for the truth, but none of them seemed to be in the right mood to answer him right now.

He was about to get up and find her when Brooke came back in the main room, looking just like usual. She even seemed more awaken than before, and nothing on her face showed out that she had just cried. She came to sit on his left, where she had been when Nathan had come in earlier, and went back to her homework.

"Brooke ?" She didn't look up from her paper, apparently focused on it. "Brooke, can we talk about what just happened ?" he murmured with a slight frown.

She let out a sigh, put down her pen. "Thanks for helping me." she whispered, her voice huskier than usual.

"You don't have to thank me."

He could be stone-faced when Nathan was kissing her, but not when she was obviously not okay with that. Unfortunately, by the time he had realized something was wrong and had stood up to check on her, she had already fallen on the floor.

"But you didn't have to," she said, finally looking at him, "I can manage on my own."

"Alright," he replied, a little confused.

She nodded then took her pen and went back to scribbling numbers. "Thanks anyway." she murmured, her eyes not shifting from her work. "And don't worry, I'm fine."

He sighed, reassured by her words. She suddenly looked back at him in surprise, and he noticed that he had unconsciously placed his hand on her head, intending to stroke her hair in comfort. He promptly snapped out of it and settled for patting the top of her head. "G – Good." he awkwardly stuttered.

He quickly pulled back his hand; at this rate, it wouldn't take her long to notice his attraction to her. But how was he supposed to be emotionless around her when he was seeing her almost every day ?

 **Nathan Scott**

Nathan was supposed to spend the afternoon at Haley's to work on his so-called weak subjects to prepare for a series of tests that was about to happen. Although he was physically present, he couldn't focus at all on what his tutor was telling him. Not a single word was getting to him, the only thing he could think of was Brooke's scared face.

He still couldn't believe what he had done... Forcing a kiss on her was plain stupid. No, it was worse than that, it made him obnoxious. He was completely aware that he had no excuse, but when he learnt that she was once again with Lucas who was was pining after her... It just made him mad. Of course that didn't justify his actions, he knew that very well. Furious or not, he couldn't do that to Brooke.

"Nathan ?" He looked up to Haley, who was eyeing him with worry. "What's wrong ?" she asked him with a quiet sigh.

"Nothing," he replied, shrugging.

She frowned, visibly not convinced by his words, "Really ?"

"It doesn't matter," he murmured, reading his next question.

"It matters enough for you to get the French revolution date wrong," she retorted, slightly amused.

He saw with consternation that he had indeed gotten it wrong. He corrected his answer and turned to Haley with an apologetic face. "Sorry, seems like I'm wasting your time today."

"Is this about Brooke again ?" He nodded in silence. "Maybe it's not that bad." she said on a supportive tone.

"Yeah it is." he said, shaking his head. "I really hurt her this time."

"Physically ?" she asked with a frown.

"No, not like that... But she looked pretty scared."

Her eyes widened. "What did you do ?"

"I... I can't tell you." Especially not to her, she would kick him out in a heartbeat.

"Come on, I'm sure you're overstating things."

"I'm not."

"But you could never hurt her !"

"How can you be so sure of that ?"

Haley shrugged. "Because I know you, now."

"Well, looks like you don't know me enough." he retorted sharply.

Haley seemed hurt for a second, which made him immediately regret his tone. But she regained composure just as quickly, and told him with a slight smile : "I know you're stubborn, hasty... and hard-working. I also know that you're passionate about a lot of things, basketball on top of your list. You're always trying to get better. And I know that you care a great deal for your friends, especially for Brooke."

Nathan stayed silent for a while, feeling even more like a jackass than before. "You're good," he murmured with surprise.

"I'm just observing things," she said offhandedly, though her cheeks were turning a little red.

"Not everything, no..." he mumbled.

"What ?"

"No, nothing." he said, getting back to his questions.

 **Brooke Davis**

Ten more minutes to go. Ten long minutes and she could finally go home.

Her day had been awful; she had spent her time avoiding Nathan at school. Lucky for her, she had no seen him often, but the few times they had passed by each other she hadn't managed to look at him without remembering Saturday morning. She still couldn't figure what had gone through his mind... Why would he do such a thing ? It wasn't like him to forcefully kiss her, or anyone for that matter.

It had probably something to do with his failed game from Friday, but she couldn't see the logic in that. And anyway, she didn't care about why he had done that to her, he simply couldn't do that. Kissing her at the beginning of their relationship to convince their entourage that they were dating, fine. But when there was no one left to convince ? She couldn't see the point in that.

Well, at least this incident had one good side. Now she knew for a fact that she didn't want this kind of relationship with him. She hadn't felt an ounce of pleasure when he had kissed her, nothing but revulsion and disgust. To think that a few weeks ago she was not sure of the way their relationship would evolve...

Brooke had decided not to tell Peyton. Not because she didn't trust her, because she did, more than anyone really, but... She was fearing that if she told her, Peyton would pounce on him the minute they'd see him. She knew what her best friend was capable of, with all the self-defence lessons her father had made her go through, so if she could avoid a murder... Though she had to admit that part of her would have liked to see him suffer a bit, she still cared about him, even if he had gone too far.

As for Lucas... He most probably knew something was off with them now, he had to. She had thought about it the day before, since she wasn't working that day, and... Nothing was preventing her to tell Lucas the truth. The only people they had to lie to in order to make their couple believable were their friends and their parents. And even for them, she had only lied to her father because he had seen them by accident. Apart from them, they didn't have to lie to anyone else. So why couldn't she tell Lucas ? Before that, she would have to tell Nathan about it though... _When_ she would talk to him again. Which was definitely not happening any time soon.

When she got home, she saw that her father's shoes were in the entrance and that he had come home from his weekend in New York. She wasn't surprised, since he had texted her the good news of his return in the afternoon, while she was in school. She closed the door, dropped her bag in the hallway and rushed to the living room to hug him, thrilled to see him again.

Ted chuckled at his daughter's reaction, stroking her hair with fondness. "I missed you too."

She broke their embrace and stepped back, taking off her jacket to hang it in the hallway. "How was your weekend ?"

Brooke remembered only then that he hadn't gone there for fun, but rather to have a fight with Victoria, for a reason still unknown to her. When she walked back into the living room, he was comfortably sitting on the couch, reading his usual newspaper. He looked rather relaxed for someone who had just had an argument with his wife...

"You should ask your mother," he said with a grin.

She walked around the couch and sat next to him. "You know I don't like talking over the phone," she replied with a frown. "Can't you just tell me yourself ?"

"You won't need a phone," he cheerfully said, looking at her above the sports page.

"What do you..." she started saying, before realizing with dread, "wait, she's here ?"

"She's upstairs, taking a shower."

Brooke leaned on the couch, nervously staring at the television in front of her. "But why is she here ? Isn't she supposed to go to work tomorrow ?"

"She took holidays."

Oh, she took holidays.

Holidays ?

HOLIDAYS ?

She never ever took a day off ! Especially not in the middle of the year, without any warning ! What was she up to now ?

"She just wants to spend some time here," her father told her, reading her thoughts.

He folded his paper and got up, stating that he was going to prepare diner. Brooke followed him, her mind set on getting answers.

"I don't get it dad, why does she want..."

He cut her off with a quiet laugh, and gently pushed her toward the stairs, "Why don't you greet her first, huh ?"

Brooke took a few steps but spun around to face her father, her arms crossed against her chest. "Or I can wait for her here." she said on a firm tone. "What happened in New York ?"

"We simply talked." he said with a shrug.

She waited for more details, but that was apparently all he had to say for now as he let her standing there, in their hallway, and headed to the kitchen.

"What did you talk about ?" she asked loud enough for him to hear.

"You." he said in the same tone.

"What do you mean, me ?"

"Your future."

Brooke turned around, recognizing her mother's voice. She was still on top of the stairs, and quickly walked them down to reach her, dressed in just a bathrobe. She looked surprisingly... exhausted. From her trip, maybe ?

"Again ?" Brooke managed to say once they were on the same level.

"It's quite important, don't you think ?"

Enough for her to take some holidays, apparently.

Victoria walked past her to help her husband with their dinner. Brooke sighed and sat on the step behind her; why was everyone around her acting so weird all of a sudden ? First Nathan, now her mother... What was next, Peyton robbing a bank ?

She looked above her shoulder and watched her mother's back, lost in her thoughts. She really didn't get her. She just couldn't. It was Monday. The last time her mother had been home on a Monday, she was in elementary school.

 **Nathan Scott**

Each of his footsteps was loudly resonating against the walls, he was running with all his might to avoid being late. Well, rather to avoid being more late than he already was.

When he arrived in front of the tutoring centre, Haley was waiting for him in front of the door, and welcomed him with a death stare.

"I'm sorry," he said right away," I completely forgot about today..."

"I added this session for you," she retorted, clearly annoyed, "so that you could be fully prepared before your tests. And you come here fifteen minutes late ?"

"I'm really, really sorry." he murmured, clasping his hands in prayer. "Can you forgive me ?"

"Nathan..." she said on the same tone, furrowing her brow.

"Please ?" he asked innocently, leaning over to peck her on the cheek.

To his relief, she immediately relaxed and even seemed to blush, before saying with a shrug, "Fine. Only because it's for you. Come on, let's get to work already."

He obeyed and went in the room, sitting at their usual table and taking his books out of his bag.

"So what's the program today ?"

"History," she replied, opening a book to place it between them. "And you better get an amazing grade."

"I have an amazing tutor," he said with a lopsided smile, taking a pen in his hand, "there's no way I'll fail this."

"If your grades are good enough", she said with a flattered smile, "we can stop our sessions."

Oh no, that was not part of his plan. Nowadays, the moments he was spending alone with her were like a breath of fresh air. What would he do without them ?

"You think ?" he asked, trying to hide his apprehension. "I'd prefer to keep meeting until June, if that's fine with you... Just to be sure."

"As you wish," she said with a shrug.

She had been convinced quite quickly, he noticed with an inward smile. He tried not to think about it too much, and focused on his work. Of course, thinking only about the main historical events of the twenty first century was impossible, his situation with Brooke kept nagging him. He had done his best to avoid her yesterday, but that didn't mean he wasn't thinking about her.

He owed her an apology, he knew he did, but he couldn't face her. Not now, it was still too soon. And from the rare looks she had given him, she was not ready to hear him either.

He had to stop thinking about all of that, at least for an hour... Well, more like forty five minutes. After all, Haley's method was a pretty successful one, since even if he had not needed tutoring in the first place, his grades had still increased.

Nathan noticed after a short while that she kept looking at her phone... Almost every five minutes.

"Are you waiting for a call ?"

"Erm... yeah," she said, a little embarrassed. "My parents are not home this week, and they're probably gonna call me this morning."

"You can call them you know, I won't mind." he said with a shrug.

"No, they're the ones who should call. It would be weird otherwise..." When she saw his confusion, she added, "It's my birthday. So it would be weird if I called them to get their wishes."

"Ah," he said with a smile, finally understanding what she meant. It took him another second to realize what she had just said to him, "Wait, it's your birthday ?!" She chuckled to his slow reaction, and nodded. "I had no idea," he said, leaning on his chair, "I don't have anything..."

"It's alright," she cut him off, her cheeks slightly pink. "I'm not fond of presents so really, it's fine."

"Still, I wish I had... Ah !" he cried, remembering that trinket he had been carrying in his bag for several months now. He bent down to his bag and opened its front pocket to get the bracelet out. He had found it weeks ago when someone had bumped into him, near the Café, and had put it in his pocket. He hadn't touched it since then and had completely forgotten about it.

Nathan carefully watched the small object hiding in the palm of his hand, making sure it wasn't scratched or broken, and held out his hand to her.

"You... You don't have to," she murmured shyly, blushing furiously, "I mean I can't just..."

She stopped when she saw the bracelet, her face freezing for a moment. Then she grabbed it and looked at it more closely, her eyes widening and looking up at him.

"Where did you find this ?" she asked in awe.

"In the street, a few weeks ago."

"It's mine !" she cried with a blissful smile. "I looked for it for days, I never thought I would get it back ! So you're the one who shoved me that day !"

She looked as stunned as he was, probably even more. Her eyes were fixed on her bracelet, that she soon attached around her wrist. "Just as I thought..." she sighed. "It's too big now. That's why it fell. It's a gift I got from my brothers and sisters, when I turned sixteen. I can't believe you had it all this time..."

Her gaze brightened while she was leaning forward, putting her arms around him. Nathan slightly flinched, having not expected that reaction from her, but quickly slid an arm behind her. He could have stayed hours like that, her head resting on his shoulder.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," she whispered to his ear.

He felt her head lift from his shoulder, and saw her face standing a few centimetres from his; he couldn't recall ever seeing her that close, and tried to take a mental picture before she broke their embrace.

But instead of doing that and leaning back on her chair, she got even closer to him, until their lips eventually touched. He had barely realized what was going on when she quickly backed away on her chair, covering her mouth with her hand with a shocked look, as if she couldn't believe what she had just done.

Haley bolted from her seat and clumsily gathered her books.

"I... I don't know what got into me," she murmured, putting her books in her bag, "I'm sorry, I never should have done that."

"No, it's... It's okay," he said, too dumbstruck to think straight. "You're..."

"No, it's not."

She dashed off, a guilt-ridden expression stuck on her face.

Nathan, who hadn't even realized he had gotten up, slumped down on his chair. He tilted his head back, staring at the ceiling with mixed feelings. Why had she kissed him ? Was it just a spur of the moment thing, or... Or did she have feelings for him ?

But seriously, what was wrong with him... Out of two kisses, one girl started crying and the other was running for her life.

 **Brooke Davis**

It turned out that the third person to surprise her had not been Peyton, but Lucas, who that same morning had called out to her at school to tell her that he couldn't come tonight at the library. Nor Thursday night. When she had asked him why, he had mumbled something about his book, that he absolutely had to finish. Brooke had not complained and instead had told him that it was fine, they would meet next week.

She had no reason to be mad at him; he was an author after all, he had to do his job, but... Something had sounded fake in his explanation. Brooke didn't know what to think of it, and preferred to think that he had not lied to her. Why would he, anyway ?

For once she had free time after school, so she decided to directly go home to get some rest. With the cheerleading rehearsals at lunch to perfect their routine for the incoming championship, the books she was reading, her class, her work at the Café, and Nathan going mental, she didn't know which way to turn. Not to mention her mother who was acting like a real weather-cock and seemed to have developed a split-personality in record time. So today, lying down on her bed to do absolutely nothing for two hours seemed like a pretty good idea.

When she got home, Brooke remembered that her mother was probably around and thus silently closed the door as she came in. Tiptoeing through the hallway, she glanced at the living room and saw that her mother was sitting on an armchair, engrossed in a book. She didn't lift her head, which meant she hadn't noticed her yet. Good. Brooke turned around to climb the stairs, but then remembered that she had already seen that book somewhere. Watching her mother from afar, she realized it was the same huge book that she had seen her mother flip through the last time she was here. And once again, she seemed completely in her own bubble when she was reading it... What in the world was in it ?

Victoria's eyes shot up to Brooke, and when she saw her, she closed her book right away, keeping it on her lap.

"How was your day ?" she asked her hesitantly.

"Okay." Brooke replied, staying in the doorway.

"I thought you were with your private teacher ?"

"He's not my..." she started correcting her before changing her mind. "He couldn't come today."

"Ah. That means we can talk, then," she said with a satisfied tone. Brooke frowned, leaning on the wall next to her. "Yesterday night you left the table before we could even talk."

"And what do you want to talk about ?"

"You haven't signed the school form."

"Ah. That again," she sighed, aggrieved. "Can I do it later ?"

"No, you have to sign it now."

She still needed some time... It was just a matter of days now, but how could she tell her that ? Her mother would never listen. "I'll sign it by the end of the week."

"And why not now ? Do you not want to go there ?"

Brooke didn't even glance back at her mother, and told her as she was walking to the stairs, "It doesn't matter."

She locked herself in her room, as planned, and lied down on her bed, doing her best to empty her mind. It was a wasted effort though, with everything going on right now... And that letter she was expecting. She was tossing a coin with that application, she knew that, which was why she had not told anyone about it, not even Peyton. At least this way, if she failed, she would be the only one to be disappointed.

Brooke only got out of her room when she heard her father yell her name from downstairs, signalling her that it was dinner time. But instead of heading straight to the kitchen, she made a detour through her parents' bedroom, thinking about the book her mother had been reading. She entered the room and closed the door behind her, wondering where she could find what she was looking for... She snooped around in every place she could think of : their dresser, under the pillows, in their wardrobe... She eventually found it hidden on the top of the wardrobe, and had to stand on a chair to grab it. Once she had it in her hands, she jumped on the floor and went to sit on the edge of the bed, looking carefully at the book resting on her lap.

It wasn't a book; it was a photo album.

Where the hell had this been ? She knew all the albums they had at home, she knew every picture in them, but this one she had never seen before. It smelled funny and looked old, as if it had been rotting for long years in the bottom of a drawer until someone had just recently remembered its existence.

As she opened it to check out its content, her confusion grew rapidly; on almost every picture, there was one little girl, from birth to adolescence. At first glance, she thought it was pictures of her. But very quickly she noticed that all the pictures were in black and white, and when she looked more carefully at the girl in them, she realized that it wasn't her. It was someone who looked exactly like her, minus her dimples. It was the only major difference between them. Who could that possibly be ?

Ah, of course. It could only be Victoria, she _was_ her mother after all. Brooke was so shocked by their resemblance that for a while it was all she could think of, and she realised that in several years, she would look exactly like her. Well, it could have been worse.

She flipped the pages with growing curiosity, noticing here and there a woman standing near her mother. That person, though, she had no idea who it could be...

Brooke carefully closed the album and noted for the first time in her life that she knew almost nothing of her mother's past. She wanted to put the album back to its place and forget about it, but she knew she couldn't do that. She didn't like to admit it, but she did want to know more about her mother... And why she was looking into this album now. She wasn't the kind to dwell on the past, so why was she acting like that now ?

She got up from the bed, dead set on getting answers. However when she reached the kitchen's door, she almost chickened out. She was still pondering on what to do when her father opened the door, startled to see her standing there.

"Where were you ? We've been waiting for you !" he cried with a frown. "Can you get the bread ?"

Brooke nodded, tightly holding the album behind her back. She entered the kitchen, watching her mother who was cleaning the counter top.

"What ?" she asked her, noticing something was wrong. She didn't know what to say, so instead she simply showed her what she had been hiding so far; Victoria immediately looked annoyed. "Why do you have that ?" she asked her with a glare.

Brooke shrugged, unfazed by her mother's anger. "Found it in your room."

"And who gave you permission to look into it ?" she said in a loud voice, shouting at her, which made her jump in surprise. Victoria probably noticed that she was overreacting, for she quickly calmed down "Sorry, I shouldn't have yelled." she added with a frown.

Ted walked behind his daughter and grabbed her shoulders. She turned her head to him and saw his encouraging smile as he was taking the album back from her.

"Dad, who's on the..."

"It's not me you should ask." he said on a soft tone.

He briefly looked at his wife, and after a slight push on his daughter's shoulders, left them alone in that room. Victoria sighed, and her frown slowly disappeared. She put down the towel she had been holding and looked up to Brooke.

"You weren't supposed to see that."

"I was just curious," she murmured, disappointed. "Don't worry, I won't ask..."

She spun around and pushed the kitchen's door; her mother called out to her before she reached the hallway.

"Wait !"

Brooke froze, wondering what she was up to now. She held back a sigh, and turned around to face her mother, "What ?"

"It's..." Victoria mumbled with shifty eyes. "It's your grandmother."

"What are you talking about ?" she asked, confused.

"On the pictures, it's me and my mother."

Oh, that explained... Wait a minute. It was her grandmother ? But she was standing next to her mother when she was a teenager, how was that possible ?

"Didn't you say that she died when you were seven ?"

"Yes."

"Then how can she be next to you when you're thirteen ?" she retorted, completely lost.

Victoria looked down on the floor, as if her answer was written down there, then looked back at her daughter; Brooke noticed with surprised that for once, her mother didn't look like an emotionless machine. She stayed still, too flustered to move as Victoria was walking past her. She quickly collected herself and joined her mother in the living room. After a moment of hesitation, she sat next to her on the couch, waiting for an explanation.

"It's true that I lied to you," Victoria murmured, her eyes fixed on her hands, "she didn't die when I was a kid."

"Ah." Brooke said, out of words. "But... Your father, he did die..."

"In a car accident, yes. When I was three."

At least she hadn't lied on everything. But why had she told all these things about her mother ? "He left us on our own, my mother and I." she added, lowering her voice. "And things didn't go very well."

"What do you mean ?"

"My mother... She used to work a lot, she always came home late," she murmured sadly. "She didn't have time for me. Eventually... We spent days, weeks even, without talking to each other."

At that point, she wasn't sure if she was talking about her mother or their own relationship.

"We quickly became strangers."

She could still leave. Get up and pretend to have a stomach ache, or any other lie. She didn't have to hear the whole story, all she wanted to know was who that woman in the pictures was. And now that she had her answer, she had no reason to stay on that couch to listen to her mother getting it off her chest... That's what she was doing, right ? Pouring her heart out though she usually never said a word on her feelings.

But she didn't want to leave. For a reason she couldn't understand, and that she would still not understand once this conversation would be over, Brooke genuinely wanted to stay with her mother. As if deep down, she knew it was a rare opportunity to seize. Her mother needed that. And somehow, so did she.

"Even when we talked, which didn't happen a lot, we would always fight," Victoria said. "So... I left the house, I was seventeen and had absolutely nothing."

"How... How did you finish school ?" she asked hesitantly.

"I slept in a car at school, I was basically living there, taking showers in the gym and stealing food from the cafeteria. I was so scared that the police would find me and take me home," she snickered. "Even if I knew that my mother hadn't warned anyone. It was just better that way, for both of us." She stopped for a moment, and Brooke feared that she had changed her mind; but no, she simply breathed out and kept talking. "No one found out about me and I graduated high school. After that I went to college, I found a job to pay my rent. And then I met Ted."

Her eyes brightened up, and Brooke was oddly touched by that. If there was one thing binding them, it wasn't their physical resemblance... No, it was their mutual attachment to Ted.

"I don't get it..." Brooke murmured. "You're telling me all this, but... Is that why you – _we_ don't get along ? Is that what you're trying to say ?"

"I'm not looking for excuses," she immediately said, "I know I'm at fault. But... Maybe the fact that I didn't have a great role model didn't help."

Brooke didn't know what to say to that, troubled. It did explain a lot, but as Victoria had said so herself, it didn't excuse everything. It didn't erase all the forgotten birthdays, the missed Christmases, the aborted family trips. Quite the contrary, it only highlighted them even more.

"Why..." she managed to say, "Why did you lie ?"

Victoria finally looked at something other than her hands. Her eyes landed on the coffee table, then on the television, and eventually shifted to Brooke.

"I'm not good at... showing my feelings."

"Sounds familiar," Brooke said with a slight, encouraging smile.

"Even your father doesn't know all the details of my childhood."

"I still don't get why you're telling me this now," she admitted. "It took you eighteen years to figure that out ?"

Victoria seemed afflicted, as if she had feared that question the most. "I hope it's not too late for us."

"You're not answering my question, mom."

"My mother died. Two weeks ago." Brooke raised her eyebrows, surprised at first by what she had heard, and then by the fact that she hadn't thought of it on her own. It sounded pretty obvious now. "I only told your father three days ago."

Which explained why they had come back here in such good terms even though Ted had left for New York pretty pissed at her. "What took you so long ?"

"I... I don't know," she said, shaking her head. "I can't give you a clear answer for that, the relationship I had with my mother... It was complicated."

"More complicated than ours ?"

"I completely forgot her, Brooke," she sighed. "For years, I just put her aside, I hadn't once thought of her, at all. But then an old aunt called me to tell me she was dead, and I started remembering everything."

The weirdest thing was that she didn't sound remorseful at all; apparently to Victoria, forgetting about her mother was not a bad thing, more like an inevitable thing that had happened to her. She didn't regret it. And in a way, Brooke understood why.

"And then I thought of you. Of us." she said, shyly placing a hand on Brooke's knee, a gesture that startled her. "And I realized that I've become just like my mother, which was the one thing I had feared the most when I got pregnant."

"You never wanted kids anyway..." Brooke murmured.

Victoria briskly took away her hand, and looked up at her daughter, startled and guilty, "How do you know that ?"

"I heard you say that one day," she said with a shrug, "a long time ago."

"It's true." she said, lowering her head. "Ted wanted a child but I didn't, and... I don't know, I always thought he would be an amazing father, so I gave in. But I... I was so scared to turn into a bad mother that I actually became one."

She looked so discouraged all of a sudden, something that Brooke didn't even think was possible just a few hours ago. She could have told her that it wasn't entirely true, that it could have been worse, but she didn't say a word. For the first time in her life, her mother was admitting to being a terrible mother, so Brooke figured that she could just appreciate the moment, even if it pained her mother.

Victoria didn't say anything else on that subject; she abruptly stood up and told her it was about time they ate. Ted didn't allude to their talk, respecting their privacy. Brooke got only half-surprised when her mother told them that she was tired and going to bed, barely twenty minutes after they had started eating.

When the table was cleared, father and daughter sat on the couch to watch a movie together. Brooke, who had been lying lazily on the couch, straightened her back when her father came to sit next to her and quickly snuggled up to him, her head resting on his shoulder.

He put his arm around her, giving her a tender look, "What ?"

"We talked." she whispered to him.

"About her mother ?"

"Yeah," she said, hesitating a bit. "You... You really didn't know she was alive ?"

"No," he softly said. "Up until this weekend, I had the same version as you."

Brooke still couldn't know how he was not mad at her at all, after she had lied to him for so many years. "But I always knew she was lying." he admitted.

"How ?" she asked, raising her head.

"Well... She often contradicted herself."

"But dad, why... How could you accept her lying to you ? You never asked for the truth ?"

Ted had a melancholic smile, "I guess it's because I love her. When you marry someone, you accept them entirely, with their own private world. I always knew she would tell me everything one day. I didn't knew when it would be, though I figured it would take some time, but... I was fine with that."

 **Nathan Scott**

He had had enough courage to go straight home after school, but Nathan cracked on Thursday night. If he went home now, he knew he would punch his father.

Dan was not letting him breathe since their defeat. He acted as if Nathan had just lost World War III. Or the second Desert Storm.

He kept looking for an explanation to his loss and peppered him with questions, every time he saw him. Of course, Nathan was not going to tell him anything, not wanting his father to make fun of his girl problems. Dan couldn't understand him anyway, so why bother to tell him ?

That was why not a single day had passed without them ending up fighting, with Deb trying to calm them down. The day before, at dinner, when Dan shouted at him for what seemed like the hundredth time that he wasn't going to become a champion like that, Nathan shouted back that he couldn't care less about the championship. His father had stared at him as if he had just escaped an asylum and had suddenly told him not to worry, that it was just a phase.

So he couldn't go home right now, and preferred to stay in a place where he knew no one would bother him with endless questions : the Café.

When he came in, Haley was tending to a table; he went straight to the bar, waiting for her to come back. A few seconds later, she was walking past him and around the counter to sit at her usual place, behind the register, acknowledging his presence by a pretty cold nod. Nothing else. She didn't even look at him, apparently way too absorbed in her crosswords.

Nathan immediately understood that something was wrong, and that it had something to do with him. They hadn't talked in two days, after she had kissed him, since she had carefully avoided him the same way he was avoiding Brooke. But now, for some reason she didn't look embarrassed anymore, but... Angry.

"Is everything alright ?"

"Sure," she curtly said.

"Really ?"

"Yeah, why ? Why do you even care ?"

She finally looked at him, and he noticed that she didn't seem just angry, but also hurt... By him ? But how, and why ? What had he done wrong ?

"Did I do something ?" Haley didn't reply anything and simply kept staring at him. "Are you anticipating my terrible grade ?" he asked with a lopsided smile.

She didn't seem to find that funny at all, she even seemed more pissed. "I don't want to talk to you right now," she murmured before storming off to the kitchen.

Nathan was startled but didn't stay put; he quickly got up and followed her, catching up with her before she entered the kitchen. He grabbed her arm and made her spin to face him.

"Leave me alone, Nathan," she said on a cold tone. "I don't have any more time to waste with you."

"What's going on ? Why are you so mad ?" he asked, confused.

"Why ?" she repeated, her eyes widening. She pulled her arm away from him, and placed her hands on her hips. She raised her head, her eyes burning with anger, "I asked to see your previous grades, you know, to compare them."

"Oh."

"Yes, oh. You never needed any tutoring, you were doing just fine on your own !"

Well, there was no need to play dumb, then. Nathan tried to see the bright side of it : at least now, he didn't have to act like a dunce every time they met. The problem was that she looked so furious that she would probably never want to see him again.

"Ok, I know I lied, but..."

"You wasted my time !" she yelled, her forefinger pointed at him touching his chest. "Did you have fun ? Did you enjoy seeing me work my ass off for you ?!"

Well, sounds like she was good to yell at him for the next five minutes. And then she would throw him out, telling him that she never wanted to see him again. He could have tried to say something, but he knew it was a lost cause.

Nathan should have been worried to see her this furious against him, and to some extent he was, but... He just couldn't help but find her extremely cute when she was angry. A soft smile spread on his lips, which only seemed to intensify her wrath.

"You think this is funny ?!" she shook her head, "I can't believe I was that stupid, there I was, thinking that maybe you actually cared about me..."

Her words triggered something in him; without thinking, he leaned over her and kissed her, very quickly. Right after that, to make sure that she wouldn't smack him, because she really looked like she could do it, he took a few steps back.

She was transfixed, which somehow relieved him; at least she wasn't welling up or going hysterical. But after a few seconds, he wondered what her absence of reaction could mean.

Haley started fidgeting, her eyes swiftly shifting to the wall next to them.

"Why did you do that ?" she asked in murmur, her anger vanished.

"Because..." he started saying, not really sure of what to say. "I heard you."

"You heard me ?" she repeated with a frown. "You mean... singing ?" He gave her a nod; she blushed furiously. "When ? I've never sung in front of..."

"I just thought it was beautiful. Your voice." he said, stepping forward. "And then I found you intriguing. I wanted to know you, so I lied to spend time with you. I mean, honestly, why else would we hang out together ? I'm sorry I lied, I really am, but... I'm not sorry for having feelings."

Taken aback, her eyes shifted back to him. "So... I wasn't imagining things ?" she asked quietly.

Nathan knew she was giving him the green-light; he placed his hands on her hips and pulled her to him. It was truly crazy how intoxicated with her he was, he never thought it was physically possible..

Their foreheads touched, she slid a hand in his hair, then on his chin, and as he was about to kiss her again, she stopped him, maintaining a tiny distance between them.

"No," she breathed out, shaking her head.

"Why ?" he said beggingly, confused by her mixed signals. He knew that was what she wanted too, it was so obvious, so why...

She stepped back, stumbling against the wall behind her, aback. "Brooke !" she whispered shamefully, "I can't do this to her... And neither can you."

Looking depressed, she went back to the register without delay.

He leaned on the wall behind her, softly banging his head against it. He knew he didn't have a choice anymore.

He had to talk to Brooke.

He then realized that a shaft of light was coming from his left, and when he turned around he saw that one of the swing doors leading to the kitchen was open, and that Karen was watching him from there.

"Karen. Did you..." he said, hesitating.

"I didn't see anything," she said, approaching the doors. He sighed in relief and straightened up when he saw her walk to the door, her gaze strangely reprimanding. "But don't forget that Brooke is a good girl," she said closing the door, "and she deserves the truth."

 **Brooke Davis**

Just as planned, Lucas hadn't come tonight either. Brooke had still gone to the library, hoping that maybe he would change his mind, but she had waited for nothing. She should have expected it, from his recent change of behaviour. He seemed strangely distant... He hadn't come to the Café at all this week, at least not during her shifts. And maybe she was being a little paranoid, but he seemed to be avoiding looking at her during class.

What if... What if it had something to do with what had happened Saturday morning ? No... No, she was probably imagining things.

When she came home, she got startled to see her mother sitting on the last step of their stairs, waiting for her. Victoria got up as soon as she had closed the door, and asked her to follow her in the living room. Once there, she asked her to sit down. Though confused, and still a bit lost after her mother's recent confession, she silently obeyed.

Victoria took out an envelope from her back, waving it in front of her. At first, Brooke had no idea what was going on, and then she recognized the stamp on the letter, addressed to her name, and opened her eyes wide. She also had to fight back the urge to grasp the letter from her mother's hands.

"What is this about ?" Victoria asked her with a frown. "A rejection letter ?"

She knew exactly what that meant, it was all written on the stamp. Boston University, English and American Literature. Brooke had sent an application form a month ago, but... without much hope.

"I know I'm rejected," she said, forcing a smile. "I just wanted to give it a try, just in case."

"Why didn't you tell me ?" her mother asked her in dismay. "I asked you several times if you had a project, something in mind, and you never said anything about this."

"It's just that... I don't know, it's a bit ridiculous and anyway it was very last minute, I knew I wouldn't get in so..."

"But it's what you want, isn't it ?"

A little surprised by the question, Brooke nodded. A month ago, she had come home from the library, and after two hours of talking about books with Lucas, she had thought that after all, if she had to find something to do for the rest of her life, then reading would be a good way to go.

"And why would it be ridiculous ?" Brooke shrugged awkwardly, at a loss for words. "You should have told me right away !" she cried, walking towards her.

"I'm going to New York anyway," she said, sheepish, "I don't have any other alternative."

"But you did find something that you like, right ?"

She looked up at her mother, surprised. "Yes," she murmured softly.

"Then go."

The severe expression on her mother's face rapidly softened, which kind of scared Brooke for a second. "But..." she mumbled. "But your... What about your school ?"

"What school ?" she retorted, waving her hand as if it didn't matter. "I never wanted you to go there."

"Are you kidding ? You kept saying..."

"I lied, yes." she admitted with a sigh. "I just wanted to know what you wanted to do, and I thought it was the only way for you to tell me."

"How about asking me ?" she retorted with irritation.

"I did, when I got here. And you didn't say anything."

"Still," she said, shaking her head, "you didn't have to lie about this..."

"I had no other choice..." Victoria replied without an ounce of remorse. "But maybe from now on, we can truthfully talk to each other ?"

She raised her eyebrows, noting that it wasn't just an innocent proposition from her mother... It was really something she wished for. "Sure, we can try." Brooke said with a grin.

"Good." she said, satisfied. "In that case, I have one last thing to confess."

Brooke rolled her eyes, fearing the worst. Now what, she was gonna tell her about a hidden twin sister ?

Victoria showed her the envelope again, waving it under her nose, a smile spreading on her face.

"It's an acceptance letter."

* * *

I'm sorry for this late update, it should have been ready this weekend but then my computer crashed and I hadn't saved my work, so I had to translate it all over again... And you may have noticed that this a veeery long chapter.

Anyway, you probably all hate Nathan now. I kinda hated him to as I was translating this (both times !), but don't worry, you'll know soon more about his backstory so it might clear things up... I still hope you enjoyed this ! Thank you for your reviews and PMs, I can't believe I have over 70 reviews for this, thanks so much !

I'll try to get the next chapter done by Friday, to make up for this one.


	10. Don't think twice, it's alright

**DON'T THINK TWICE, IT'S ALRIGHT**

 **Brooke Davis**

Peyton held out a hand to the radio next to them and switched stations. She looked over her shoulder and, noting that the number of clients had decreased and that the ones present didn't seem to dislike the music, turned up the volume.

Karen had set up this small radio next to the register a week before, and had also put up two speakers above the frond door. When Brooke had asked her what it was for, Karen had simply told her that a little music couldn't hurt. And Peyton wasn't going to refute that.

"You still haven't seen him, huh ?" Peyton asked her in a hushed voice.

Brooke rested her head on her hands, her elbows on the counter. "It's been three weeks now."

She knew she shouldn't, but Brooke could help but take Lucas' sudden disappearance to heart. He was still coming to school of course, but apart from that, she hadn't met him in the last two weeks, not even at the Café that he seemed to be boycotting too.

"No, two weeks," Peyton corrected her.

"Karen just gave me a note from him," she sighed, "and he can't come this week either."

She had to see the bright side of this; at least now, he warned her fours days in advance, he wasn't bailing out at the last minute. "You think he's sick ?"

"Or maybe he thinks I'm sick," Brooke retorted. "Maybe he thinks I have the plague."

"It's really weird, though," she murmured. "Are you sure you didn't do anything to scare him off ?"

"I didn't do anything !" she said, a little vexed. "No innuendo, nothing at all. We were getting along just fine until he turned into a ghost."

Peyton stared at the radio for a while, then looked up to her again, a smirk plastered on her lips, "Maybe he's suffering from the same thing as Nathan, it runs in the family."

Brooke shrugged nervously, preferring not to answer to that. She knew very well why Nathan was not talking to them and avoiding her as if she was death itself; she was also avoiding him for the same reason. But Peyton didn't know any of that, for purely diplomatic reasons.

"They started disappearing at the same time, right ?"

Brooke looked away from her friend, hoping that she wouldn't find out what she was hiding from her. It was already a miracle that she had managed to keep her mouth shut for two weeks, she wasn't going to crack now, was she ?

"Yeah," she mumbled anxiously, "it is weird..."

"You know something, don't you ? What is it ?"

"Okay fine, but don't get angry," Brooke sighed. "It was about two weeks ago..."

Five minutes later, Peyton was thumping the table with her fist, making her jump in surprise. "What an ass !" she cried, indignant, making the nearby clients turn to them.

Brooke smiled at them apologetically, and turned to her friend, "Don't get angry, please," she repeated softly. "And he kissed me, nothing else. I just freaked out because... I don't know, he was acting so weird,like he wasn't himself anymore."

"Did he even apologize ?" she asked with a frown.

"No. But I've been avoiding him since then, so he didn't really get a chance to..."

"Brooke, we're running into him at least five times a day at school ! Not to mention our trainings !" she cut her off, shaking her head. "And he didn't say a thing to you ?"

"No..."

She had to admit that it did annoy her a little, despite what she was saying to Peyton. Yes, she was avoiding him, but it wasn't like she had built a ten-feet tall fortress around her, she was still approachable. If he really wanted to apologize, he would have done so ages ago. But instead, he was also avoiding her even though she had done nothing wrong, apart from defending herself.

Brooke wasn't going to freak out like she had two weeks ago; if Nathan were to come to speak to her now, she wouldn't run away. But apparently, apologizing wasn't in his plans.

"Everyone keeps asking me if we broke up," she murmured. "And I don't know what to say."

"Then tell them you did," Peyton said on a harsh tone. "You've troubled yourself enough with him."

"Peyton !" she sighed, rolling her eyes.

"What ? Are you saying it's not true ? Maybe now's the perfect time to end your pact."

"Don't you think I should talk to Nathan first ?" she retorted, raising an eyebrow.

"Except you're just going round and round in circles, you're not even talking anymore."

Brooke sighed again, lowering her head a bit. "I know that, but... Look, if I put an end to it now, I just... I don't think we can stay friends."

"Fine !" she cried with exasperation. "Then go to his house, clear things up and then tell him you're putting an end to your pact."

"I guess I should do that, yeah." she murmured.

"Then what are you waiting for to call him ?"

She looked up at her friend who sounded so sure of herself and of her plan. Brooke knew it was the right thing to do, but... Even if it sounded so simple, she knew that it wouldn't be, and that was something Peyton had a hard time to understand. She hadn't spent the last two years getting to know him, or at least not in the same way. Nathan had become a true friend, someone she didn't want to separate from. And if she was making that call now, she knew it would mean losing her friend.

Brooke didn't want that. But she didn't want things to keep going that way either.

Peyton stopped staring at her, her face quickly softening. She put a hand on Brooke's arm, and let out a small sigh.

"Alright, I get it," she said with a slight smile. "You're not in a hurry anyway, take your time." Brooke nodded, smiling back at her. "Meanwhile, you could try to figure out what's wrong with the other Scott boy."

"How am I supposed to do that ?" she said with a pout. "I never see him. He even stopped coming here... I didn't even have time to tell him about Boston."

Peyton cleared her throat, her gaze moving over Brooke's shoulder; she turned around and saw that Karen had joined them. With a smile, she walked around the counter, putting her vest on.

"I'm leaving for an hour," she told her waitress, "is that okay ?"

"Sure," Brooke said with a shrug, used to staying in the Café on her own.

"See you later," Karen said with a wave.

She hadn't even made three steps that Peyton was calling out to her, to Brooke's surprise. "Say Karen, do you know why your son's not coming here anymore ?"

Brooke thought her eyes were going to come out of their sockets; she grabbed her friend's forearm, squeezing it with all her strength. Peyton turned to her with a wicked smile, proud of herself.

"That's a good question," Karen told them. They both turned to her, all ears. "I keep asking him and he just won't tell me why..." she said, thoughtful. "It's been going on for days now. Last time he was being so secretive, it was about a girl."

She had a nostalgic smile, probably thinking back to the high school years of her son. Then she checked the time and urgently told them that she absolutely had to go.

Peyton looked back at Brooke, an eyebrow raised.

"I know what you're thinking," Brooke murmured before she could say anything. "But you have to stop."

"Why should I ?"

"Because otherwise," she said with a sad face, "I'll start thinking it too."

 **Peyton Sawyer**

Her folding chair was far from comfortable, but she held back from complaining. At least the weather was fine today.

Peyton watched Julian walk forward, a few feet in front of her. She could only see his back, but she could easily picture his concentrated face, with his left eyebrow twitching without him knowing. He tightened his grasp around the camera, down on one knee, and yelled "ACTION !".

They were all waiting to see the next scene; at the other end of the back alley they were occupying,cramped between two buildings, Rachel was supposed to appear running, closely followed by Mouth.

They were starting to see the end of the shooting, which still remained a miracle for Peyton. Nothing had been easy and yet they had managed to get this done so quickly... Well, technically it wasn't done, they still had to do all the editing job... And add the musics. Then only, her opinion would matter.

Rachel appeared first, and even from afar, Peyton could appreciate her acting talent; she was really good at playing the sad woman misunderstood by her loved one. And then, running after her, was...

An elderly lady carrying grocery bags with great effort.

"Cut !" Julian shouted, springing on his feet.

Though he was obviously nervous, he managed to stay calm. He first walked to them to give his camera to Peyton, then turned around to meet his unexpected extra. He ran to her, passing by Rachel who looked exasperated, and came to her side. Peyton hesitated, but out of curiosity, carefully placed the camera on her chair and got up, soon followed by the rest of her comrades.

When they reached them, Julian was trying to tell the lady that they needed this street for a shooting.

"And how was I supposed to know that, huh ?" their senior retorted, screwing her eyes up.

"Didn't you notice the barriers ?"

"I moved them, they were in the way."

He rolled his eyes, and turned to Mouth, who had just joined them, his eyes betraying his anger. "Why did you let her through ?" Julian asked him.

"And what was I supposed to do, huh ?" he replied with a sigh. "Kick her butt out ?"

"What did you just say ?!" the lady cried, offended, which made them all smile.

"No, hum... I'm sorry," Mouth murmured, shamefully looking down at his shoes. "I didn't mean that, I..."

"Well, it's done now," Julian cut him off, turning to their intruder. "I'm sorry for bothering you ma'am, you can go."

She nodded, apparently satisfied, and slowly walked to the other end of the alley. Very, very slowly.

Julian sighed, and after looking at them, quickly ran to her. "Do you need help with your bags ?"

"Oh, you're so sweet." she said with a smile.

"How far do you live ?"

"Oh, just three blocks from here."

He took in his hands the four bags she had been struggling to hold, and turned to them : "I'll be back right away. Eddie, take the camera. I want this scene to be over when I'm back !"

Peyton slightly smiled when she noticed that the lady was suddenly walking very fast now. She had definitely tricked him...

Once they had both turned left onto the main street, they all went back to their chairs, apart from Rachel and Mouth who finally managed to shoot their short scene. Once it was done and all the equipment was cleared up, they all burst into a laugh, thinking of Julian and his grocery bags.

"He really got fooled," Mouth said, sitting with them.

"I bet you she's gonna make him unpack her shopping and put it away." Eddie replied with a chuckle.

They chatted while waiting for him, and after fifteen good minutes, started to lose patience.

"What the... Is she making him do her laundry too ?" Rachel said with a sigh.

"Stop, we get it already," Peyton said on the same tone, shaking her head.

"You think we're wrong ?"

"No, but that doesn't mean we should make fun of him behind his back."

"Chill out Sawyer," Eddie told her, "we're not making fun of him."

She rolled her eyes, and looked at Mouth who seemed to agree with her, "She's right."

"He'll sure be happy to know that you're defending him with ardour," Eddie told her with a smirk.

Peyton straightened her back, frowning at him, "What's that supposed to mean ?"

"Shut up," Mouth told him in an unusual sharp voice.

"Oh please, like you haven't noticed !" he said, ignoring him.

She had noticed, yes. It was hard not to after Brooke had spent the last two weeks making insinuations and allusions about Julian. And well, she had seen how he was looking at her, and he was obviously not seeing her as just a friend.

But what was she supposed to do ? She hadn't known him for that long, after all. Peyton would rather wait until the movie was done and wait until he didn't need her services anymore. Then and then only, depending on his behaviour, she would make a decision.

"That's none of your business," she told him with a cold stare.

"Stop it, now." Mouth added, signalling the opposite side-walk. "He's coming."

 **Lucas Scott**

After a quick glance on his left, then on his right, he crossed the road to walk towards the River Court.

Lucas had just finished his book and had sent it, this time entirely, to Lindsay. Avoiding Brooke these past two weeks had significantly speeded up his writing; now all he needed was a review from his editor. He still thought it was a little strange that Brooke hadn't come once to ask him what was up with all his absence, but he wasn't going to complain. It prevented him from making up new excuses and lies to justify his flaking. Maybe the main reason of her silence was that she simply didn't care that much about their meetings. If that was truly the case, it could only help him with his detox from her.

He looked at his watch; it was around 11 am. If he was lucky enough, Nathan would still be here. He knew Nathan usually spent his Sunday mornings here, and he was hoping that today was no exception.

He didn't just have to be there, he also had to find a way to get him to talk to him. Peacefully. A normal conversation between adults. Lucas had tried to speak to his brother the last few days but... He hadn't managed to get a single word from him. Which was probably a good thing because from the way he was looking at him whenever he tried to approach him, the only thing Nathan was willing to do was to punch him in the face.

When he had realized that talking to him at school was a lost cause, Lucas figured that he could just try to do the same outside of school. He wouldn't get any less angrier, but at least their meeting would happen in another context.

A few feet from the court, he noticed with relief that he had been right and that he hadn't come here for nothing.

Nathan wasn't alone. He was playing with three other guys, and another one was sitting on the bench next to the court. As he got closer, Lucas recognized them as Haley's friends, the ones who sometimes came to see her at the Café.

The one whom he remembered was named Skills stopped running when he saw him coming, and Nathan turned to him, surprised. With a head movement, he gestured towards Lucas, making them all look in his direction. Nathan, who was still holding a ball in his hand, recognized Lucas and completely ignored him, going back to his game.

Lucas sighed, wondering what he was going to do now. He was only two meters from the court now, and Nathan still didn't seem to be in a talkative mood. He could still back down, and go home unsuccessful, but... Well he had come all this way, so why not just give it a try ?

So he walked around the court and went to sit on the bench, next to Mouth, whom he knew from the times he had seen him commenting the Raven's matches.

All of them, except for Nathan, seemed startled by him, but they all went back to their game as if nothing was changed. But then about two minutes later, Skills stopped running again and turned to his spectators, a lost look on his face.

"Do you want to play with us, sir ?"

Nathan turned around and strode to his friend, "If he plays, I'm out."

"Oh, come on !" cried one of the other two whose names Lucas didn't know.

"I'm dead serious," Nathan insisted, clenching his fists.

"It's okay," Lucas said, standing from his seat, "I didn't come for that."

Nathan finally looked at him, "Brooke's not here." he snarled.

Lucas frowned, he would have rather talked about this in private... And Nathan knew that very well, and was using it against him. "I'm not here to see her," he replied calmly.

"Really ?" he asked with irony. "I guess there's really a first for everything !"

"Can we talk, yes or no ?"

"No." he said, categorical.

Lucas glanced around him and noticed that the other four people around them looked like they didn't know what to do with themselves, awkwardly staring at the ground. "We'll have to, though." he said, walking in his direction.

"And why is that ?"

"Because we're bro –"

"No !" he cut him off, his voice getting louder. "No, we're not."

"Of course we are," Lucas sighed, a little annoyed. "Whether you like it or not, we have the same father."

"So ? That doesn't mean I have to talk to you." he retorted, rolling his eyes.

Lucas stepped towards his brother, who reacted by taking a few steps back. "Stop acting like a child..." he said, furrowing his brow.

"Look who's talking !" Nathan cried, outraged. "You're not very adult-like either," he added, squinting at him.

He froze for a second, well aware of what Nathan was alluding to. "It's not my fault." he said, nervously glancing at the boys around them, relieved to see that they seemed completely lost. "What you heard..."

"I don't care if it's not your fault," Nathan cut him off again, "you just can't !"

"But I'm not going to do anything !" he replied, raising his voice.

"I already know that !"

Lucas now didn't know anymore why Nathan was so mad at him, if he knew that he would never try anything with Brooke. Where did all his hatred come from then ? "Can we just talk somewhere else ?"

Nathan was finally aware of his friend's embarrassment, and reluctantly told him to follow him.

He did as he was told and walked behind him on a path he knew very well; it was the road connecting the court to his mother's Café, a road that he had walked on numerous times in his childhood, and even more when he had been in high school.

When they were far enough from the River Court, and when he was sure that there was no one around to eavesdrop on them, Lucas told him once again that he wouldn't try anything.

"But why does it have to be her ?" Nathan asked him after a moment of silence.

He didn't sound just pissed, but also... tired. "I didn't choose anything." he said truthfully. "Trust me, if I had a choice, I..."

"Yeah, I get it," Nathan said, shaking his head. "But it still bothers me."

"Why ? I told you I wouldn't do anything, and I won't !"

Nathan stopped walking so suddenly that Lucas made a few steps before he noticed it. He stopped too and turned around to face him. "Because it's you," he answered, his jaw clenched.

Again with that old grudge he was holding against him, "But what the hell did I ever do to you ?!" he shouted all of a sudden, startling Nathan.

"It doesn't..."

"It does matter," he said, walking closer to him, "to me it does. And believe me Nathan, I'd like to know the truth before I turn seventy !"

What was the most infuriating wasn't the reason why Nathan was hating him so much, but rather the fact that he was hiding it from him. If he could at least know some more, he could try to fix things with him, or at least apologize for whatever it was that he had done to him to scar him like that.

Nathan frowned, his eyes drifting away. His thoughtful look suggested that he was at least thinking about what he had just told him, which was already a step forward.

"It's... It's Dan," he murmured with difficulty.

"What about Dan ?"

"He..." He looked up at Lucas, not finishing his sentence. Deep into his thoughts once again, he eventually sighed and shook his head, "No, it's not gonna work. I don't care, I can't..."

His patience running out, Lucas walked the three steps separating them and grabbed his shoulders, looking him in the eye, "No !" he shouted, fed up with their unresolved fights. "You're running away again, but why..."

"Fine, let go of me !" Nathan cried, quickly pulling away from him. "Fine, I get it." he sighed before looking at the road next to them. "Let's make a bet then."

"A bet ?" he repeated with a frown.

Nathan glanced back at him, a satisfied look on his face which did not augur well. "We race to the Café. If you get there first, I'll tell you everything you want to know."

"Everything ?" A race ? That was his deal ? More like a way to ridicule him...

"So, what do you say ?" Nathan asked, an eyebrow raised.

There was no way he could win this, and Nathan perfectly knew that. "I can't beat you, not with my medication..."

"That's not my problem," he curtly said. "So, is that a yes ?"

Nathan sounded so proud of him... And he had indeed just granted himself a safe victory. If only Lucas didn't have that damn heart condition, he would have had a chance against him, but... It was just impossible. Not to mention that he was completely rusty after several years without a regular physical activity.

He could still try, it wasn't like he had anything to lose anyway. And maybe a miracle was about to happen. If it was the case, then Nathan would have to tell him everything... Including explanations on his weird relationship with Brooke.

"Alright," he sighed, already regretting his decision.

 **Brooke Davis**

"And this one ?"

Brooke slightly contorted herself to look at her father's computer screen.

"40 square meters, fitted kitchen," Ted kept reading, "and it's... a fifteen minute walk to your school."

Sitting on her father's desk, she obediently noted down everything he was dictating on a notepad, the same way she had been doing for the past hour. After writing down the address, she looked at her previous notes. That was bringing the number of flats to visit to nine.

She had told her father that she didn't mind living in a dorm her first year, but he had replied that she didn't have to since they could afford an apartment. Brooke had to admit that she had been a little relieved by that, since deep down, she'd rather have her own place.

"So, does that mean we'll visit the campus on the same day ?" she asked him, looking up from her notes.

"Yes, why ?"

"It's a lot to do in just one day."

"Then we'll spend the weekend there," he said, his eyes riveted on his screen.

"If that's not enough, I could miss Friday or Monday's class..."

"You're not missing any class," he immediately said, his eyes travelling to her. "Not when your finals are so close."

Brooke shrugged, her legs slowly swinging. "There's still two months left."

"We'll manage to do everything in two days," he insisted on a tone that was leaving no room for discussion.

"Fine, if you say so..." she murmured, unable to hide her disappointment.

He smiled at her amusedly, seeing right through her, and leaned on his armchair. "After that we'll have to go through the small ads."

"Why ?"

"To get you a car."

Brooke jumped on her feet and turned to her father, startled. "Huh ? You're not buying me a car !"

"What if you have to travel long distances ?" her father argued. "Boston is not Tree Hill, your bike won't take you everywhere."

"What about the subway ?"

"And if you have to go to another town ?"Brooke crossed her arms in disagreement. "Come on honey, you know I'm right."

"I don't want you to buy me a car. I'll do it myself."

"Don't be silly," he said, shaking his head. "Anyway you'll have to get used to the idea, because you can't stop me from buying it."

"Dad !" she cried, offended.

He leaned over his desk, scrutinizing her with a lost look. "Sometimes I really don't get you. Most kids would do anything to get a car, and when I offer you one you..."

"I just don't want it, dad," she said, walking towards the door. "And you better not buy behind my back !" she ordered him before leaving the room.

 **Nathan Scott**

Panting after running that fast, Nathan stopped right when he crossed the Café's door.

Lucas arrived ten good seconds after him, which was truly surprising. With the medication he had been taking, Nathan had thought that he would be far ahead of him, but he couldn't have been more wrong, he had even been forced to speed up to make sure he'd be first. Though Lucas looked way more out of breath than him.

Ignoring the clients who were staring at them in bewilderment, Lucas stood in front of him, his face turned completely red.

"You must be satisfied."

He was, yes, but only a little. He wasn't feeling very proud right now, and was even a bit worried by his unusual wheezing.

"Oh well," Lucas murmured with a shrug, "maybe next time."

Nathan was not in a hurry for a rematch. When he had asked him for a race, he had only done so to be left alone, he had never thought Lucas would actually accept it. That was why he had chosen to race, he already knew Lucas would not stand a chance. He could have picked basketball, but... Deep down, he still didn't know for sure whether or not he could best him in that field. Even if Lucas had stopped playing a long time ago, Nathan had not forgotten the great player he could have become.

After a quick glance around the room, he chose a free table and sat there, his hamstring muscles causing pangs. Now that he was here, he might as well eat something.

Haley walked to him, her apron tied around her waist, with an awkward though genuine smile.

"What can I get you ?"

"Today's special, please."

She nodded and went back to her other clients. When she came back with his order a few minutes later, she unexpectedly sat in front of him.

They had come to an agreement this past week; they had mutually decided to keep on with the tutoring, even if he didn't really need it. Nathan had still heavily insisted against Haley's reluctance, telling her that it was their only opportunity to meet that often. Haley had told him that she was flattered, but that it could not happen.

After three days of fierce persistence from Nathan, he had eventually promised her to behave himself during their meetings and to only act like a friend with her, nothing more. Haley had then quickly given in, to his relief.

Their last conversations had not been very joyous though, all starting by the same question :

"Have you talked to Brooke ?"

Nathan gave out a small sigh, and replied with almost the exact same words he had used everytime she had asked him that : "Not yet. I need more time."

Haley had a hard time hiding her impatience. She couldn't understand why it was taking him so long, because she didn't know that he had excellent reasons to feel extremely guilty toward her. "Nathan," she murmured, joining her hands on the table, "if you don't tell her soon that we kissed, then I will."

"I know," he said, lowering his eyes, "I'm doing my best."

"Your best ? Really ?" she said sceptically.

"I just can't talk to her."

"Is it because of whatever you did to her ?" He looked up at her and nodded. "Is it that bad ?" she asked, now sounding worried. "Maybe I can help..."

The simplest thing would be to tell her the whole truth about Brooke, that way Haley wouldn't have any reason to be guilty about her feelings. But they had a pact, and he couldn't tell her anything before consulting Brooke.

Nathan thus knew that it was in his best interest to go and talk to her, but... He just couldn't make eye contact with her without suffocating from shame. Without any word, she could make him understand how much he disgusted her. And it was only worsening with days passing by.

Not to mention Friday's game that was just around the corner, and which was so important that he was trembling just thinking about it. If they lost that one, they would lose everything, and could say farewell to the finals in Charlotte. Well, technically it wouldn't be such a catastrophe, since he was already accepted in Duke, but he really wanted to win this championship. Not to please his father, or anyone else really, but...

It was more like a personal challenge he had put on himself, years ago. It was now up to him to win.

 **Brooke Davis**

Another Tuesday night without Lucas. The third in a row. Brooke had decided to pop by the Café, in case Haley needed any help.

However, when she quickly saw that she was doing just fine on her own, Brooke simply sat next to her, watching over the register if needed, while reading a book. From time to time, she would take a quick look at Haley, to check if she had still not relaxed from her last glance.

Brooke had in fact noticed several days ago that Haley acted strangely nervous and edgy whenever she was around. She couldn't find any reason why, and figured she was just stressed by the incoming exams. But even that sounded unlikely, for there was not a single person in their school who was doubting Haley's future success. If she was failing, then everybody would fail too.

"Are you okay, Hales ?" Brooke casually asked her.

"Sure, why wouldn't I be ?" she replied with shifty eyes.

Maybe she was sick. No, it wasn't that, something else was definitely troubling her, but what ? "Fine, then, "Brooke said with a smile. "By the way I don't think I've told you, I finally know where I'm going next year."

She hadn't told a lot of people. Peyton, her parents, a few cheerleaders. Mouth knew about it too, since they had talked about it a few days before. "You do ?"

"Yeah, I'm going to Boston."

Haley turned to her, surprised. "We'll be neighbours, then," she said with, for the first time in days, a relaxed smile. "Cambridge is right next to it."

"You're right..." Brooke said, "I completely forgot that. How long do you think it takes to go there ?"

"I'm not sure," she replied, thoughtful, "I think fifteen minutes with the T – I mean the subway."

Fifteen minutes only ? It wasn't that far... That meant thirty minutes of commuting everyday, which was not that much. "Say," Brooke asked with a grin, "have you found an apartment ?"

"I'm going to the dorms, why ?"

"Wouldn't you prefer an apartment ?"

"Yeah..." she sighed, a little embarrassed. "But it doesn't really fit in my budget."

"How about taking a room-mate ? It would make it cheaper for you."

"I know." Haley said with a nod. "But my parents don't like the idea of me going to live with someone I don't even know. Which is a little silly because up till now they've always let me do whatever I wanted to, but on this they're completely adamant."

Brooke thought she had heard a bit of annoyance, which only encouraged her to keep on : "Same for me."

"I guess we're in the same deadlock, then." Haley sighed.

"No, we're not," she said, her grin getting wider, wondering when she would understand what she meant. "There's a solution for both of us."

Haley frowned, apparently bothered not to get it. "What do you mean ?" she asked, before raising her eyebrows. "Oh !" she said, stunned, "You mean you'd be okay to..."

"It's just a proposition."

Brooke hadn't known her for that long, but she knew she could trust her. Or at least live with her. Sharing a flat was certainly not easy at first, but they would adjust, she knew they would be fine. Plus that meant she wouldn't be alone. Thirty minutes of commuting were definitely worth that luxury.

All she needed now was a car... She had to convince her father not to buy one, but how ? He apparently seemed keen on providing for all her needs, even though she didn't want him to. She knew it was hard for him to let her go, but that didn't mean he had to counterbalance with money.

"Are you serious ?" Haley asked her.

"Of course," she said with a chuckle, "why would I joke about this ? But if you don't want to..."

"No !" she immediately said, "I really want to, it would help me so much !"

In a rush of euphoria, Haley hugged her, which made her laugh louder, "Then we have a deal."

Haley let her go for a second, carefully looked at her with again that nervousness in her eyes, and suddenly tightened their embrace.

"I'm sorry," she whispered with a quavering voice.

"For what ?" Brooke asked, confused.

Haley didn't say a word on that. She simply shook her head and went back to work, torn up between the festive prospect of living together and this guilt that seemed to eat her away. She really looked like she was feeling guilty about something, but what was it ? And what did it have to do with her ?

* * *

"All the more reason to get you a car."

Brooke sighed and looked at her father, sitting across her at their table. "I don't want you to buy me anything."

He leaned over to reach the vegetables, as she was shaking her head in disagreement. "But why ?" he asked, sounding exasperated.

"Oh for God's sake, don't you get it ?!" Victoria cried.

Brooke and her father stared at her with the same startled eyes; until now, while they were having the same conversation over and over again, she had simply silently listened to them, taking no part in their discussion.

"She just wants to assert her independence," she said with a hand gesture, before looking at her daughter. "Is that correct ? You want to buy it yourself, don't you ?"

"Is that right ?" Ted asked her, an eyebrow raised.

"Well... Yeah," she said, still stunned by her mother. "And I've already told you, but you never listen."

"But where would you get the money, Brooke ?"

Brooke rolled her eyes; the answer seemed pretty obvious to her. "With the money I've earned with the Café for the past three years."

"You... You've kept it all this time ?" he asked, startled.

"Yeah," she said with a shrug.

"But then why... Why didn't you just tell me that ?"

She lowered her eyes to her plate. "Because I didn't think you'd let me anyway." she murmured hesitantly.

"Brooke," he said with a sigh, "why would I do that ?"

Before she could answer, Victoria talked, her tone giving away blame, "Because you've always got her things that are not always important."

"I don't..." he frowned. "Well, somebody had to, you know."

Brooke's eyes widened, wondering if she had heard him right. Even her mother seemed unsettled, but instead of getting angry as Brooke would have expected her to, she put down her fork, gave out a small sigh, and answered her husband with impressive calmness.

"You're right," she admitted. "But still, there's a big difference between making up for my absence and smothering her with gifts."

"But she is my daughter. Isn't it normal that I want to..."

"I'm not eight anymore, dad."

Ted looked back at her, and his surprise faded after a while, making way for a nostalgic smile, "I know," he eventually said with a sigh. "Fine, you can buy your car. But I want to pay half of it, you need to save up some money. And can I still send you money for the rent ?"

Brooke furrowed her brow, searching a way out even if she knew that there weren't any. But that didn't mean she couldn't negotiate. "Only every two months, then." she conceded. "I want to work to pay it myself."

"Brooke," he said, shaking his head, "you're not going to work during college, it's not like now..."

"Just let her do that, Ted," Victoria said with a gentle look. "Thousands of students work while studying, so why can't she ? And she'll share her charges with Haley, so she should be fine."

"Thanks," she murmured, though avoiding to look at her.

She thought of what her mother had told her about her own studies, about how she had had to manage by herself. Maybe it was her past experience that pushed her to approve her daughter's resolve.

The past two weeks had been very... calm. They hadn't talked more than ten minutes together, their relationship had not miraculously gotten better in a day. After all, they had reached a point where they had kept avoiding each other whenever Victoria deign to take a weekend off. Now that her mother had taken some holiday, Brooke didn't know how to act around her. She knew it would take some time, but little by little, they would probably find a way to be around each other without feeling awkward.

 **Lucas Scott**

After finishing his plate, Lucas grabbed the one that was still full of food and put it in the micro-oven, guessing that his mother would be home soon. And indeed, she came home right after he had started washing his dishes.

"How was your day ?" he asked her with a warm smile.

She mechanically went to the micro-oven and took our her plate. "Oh, as usual." She sat down at their table, visibly tired. "You ?"

He turned to her and sat in front of her, "Same," he said with a shrug. "Students who shout, quarrel, chat, grumble... And a handful of them who actually cares about what I say."

"I'm exhausted," Karen breathed out.

He gulped; he knew it wasn't a trifling remark. And it wasn't the first remark he had gotten from his mother since he had decreased his shifts at the Café. He hadn't completely stopped going there, but he was avoiding to be there at the same time as Brooke. Which meant he mostly went there on Sundays, the only day he knew for sure that he wouldn't meet her.

"Any word from Lindsay ?" she asked him with curiosity.

"Nope, still nothing. But right now, she's probably scribbling on every page with a red marker, and maybe even crossing out some parts," he said, half-amused. "By the way, did you give my note to Brooke ?"

His mother looked at him for a moment, as if she had absolutely no idea what he was talking about, but quickly nodded. "I gave it to her last Saturday," she said with a frown, "I forgot to tell you. I still don't see why you're using notes when you can easily tell her whatever it is that you want to say, at school, face to face. You could even call her..."

"I'd rather not, mom." he murmured.

Karen took a sip of water, staring at her son with bemusement, "Are you mad at her ?"

"What ? No, I'm not," he said, shaking his head.

"Ah, well... I thought you two got along really well but recently you..."

"Not that well, huh." he cut her off, embarrassed.

"If you say so... But you are avoiding her, aren't you ?"

Lucas sighed inwardly, and remembered how sharp his mother could be at times. "Yeah, a little," he murmured.

"And you won't tell me why ?"

"No," he said, avoiding her gaze.

"Does it have anything to do with the fact that you won't let me read your manuscript ?"

Maybe she had been a detective in a previous life.

Karen had indeed not understood his decision to hide his manuscript from her. He couldn't explain to her that it was because after Lindsay was done reading it, he desperately needed to change his heroin so that she wouldn't be Brooke's clone anymore.

"Yes." His mother now seemed even more lost than before, not seeing how his absence from the Café could be connected to Brooke or his book. "I really wish I could tell you..."

"Then why don't you ?" she asked worriedly.

"Because... Because I have a conscience."

"Have you done something wrong ?"

Not yet, no. "No, mom."

It was exactly what he wanted to prevent. A teacher starting, or even trying to start a relationship with a student, was wrong. Very wrong. He would get fired, be the centre of gossips in Tree Hill for months, not to mention Brooke's reputation.

But whenever he thought about it, he couldn't help but think that she didn't have much time left in high school. After that, they would be mere friends, and then their relationship wouldn't be so wrong, would it ?

And then, Nathan would be factored into the equation, putting an end to all his fantasies. Strangely enough, the main problem wasn't that they were dating, because Lucas was now 99% sure that they weren't in love, and even wondered whether they had ever been. But even if he was right, considering the level of protection Nathan showed around Brooke, if he tried anything, he could say farewell to any chance of reconciliation with him.

Except that... A chance with Brooke wouldn't appear twice; his brother, though, he was connected to him for ever, and thus had an infinite number of chances to make things up with him.

So in the end, trying something with Brooke wouldn't be that incongruous. Though for anything to happen with her, she would have to see him as something other than her teacher or her boss's son.

Anyway, even if all theses obstacles were gone, he had to remember that as long as she was in school, things would not change.

"Do you remember what I told you when I came back ?" he asked his mother.

"You said a lot of things, you know..."

"You know, how I was looking for something during my trip, but I didn't know what."

"Yes," she said with a nod, "and ?"

"And it's done." he said with a sigh. "I found... it, here, in Tree Hill. But..."

"But what, Luke ?" she asked when she realized he was hesitating to say more.

"I can't have h– it. Because it would be wrong, but I can't help wanting... that."

Karen was looking at him as if he was speaking a foreign language. "It would help a lot if you could give more details."

"I... I'm tired," he eventually said, ignoring his mother's disappointed face. "G'night."

 **Peyton Sawyer**

It was almost nine pm, and Julian was still in her bedroom. Lying down on her bed, her laptop in front of her, Peyton was patiently waiting for the software she was using to fully load up every song they had picked. Meanwhile, Julian was sitting on her office chair, spinning around and from time to time making comments on the discs carefully placed on her shelves.

She then told him that Brooke would be coming over soon. When he asked her why, she replied that they had planned to watch a movie together on TV tonight. She could have come earlier, since she was free this Thursday evening once again, but when Peyton had told her friend that Julian was coming over so that they could chose the movie's musics together, she had immediately said that she would come as late as possible.

"Do you want me to leave ?"

"No, we're not done with this yet," she said, staring at her computer. "And you can stay after that too, Brooke actually likes you now."

"She does ?"

"Yeah. Congrats, you've really come a long way with her," she added with a grin. "I wonder what you've told her that would make her change her mind so quickly." She did have an idea though, but Julian's embarrassed face was worth asking. He nervously shrugged, apparently out of words. "And... There." she said, looking up from her screen. "It was the last one." She closed her laptop and sat crossed-legs. "We still have to order them a bit, but once you're done with editing the video I'll be able to add the musics."

"Great !" he said enthusiastically. "You've really done a great job."

"I didn't really have a choice at first." she reminded him, an eyebrow raised.

"Admit it, you actually enjoyed yourself." he retorted with a lopsided smile.

Peyton rolled her eyes, but couldn't hold back a smile, and she was forced to admit that he was right. "Do you want a drink ?" she asked him as he seemed to be lost in his thoughts.

"No..." he murmured with hesitation. "Hey, how are things between Nathan and Brooke ? Are they still not talking ?"

"Yeah," she said with a sigh.

She was seriously getting fed up with that situation; lately, all she wanted to do was to shake them up so that they would finally talk again. But she knew that urging Brooke was definitely not a good idea. And Nathan, well... He was incredibly impossible when he was pissed.

Which reminded her that she still didn't know why Nathan had acted that way with Brooke... It couldn't be simply because of his failed match, it would be ridiculous if it was just that.

"How is she doing ?" he asked, his brow furrowed.

"Not great," she said with a shrug, since it seemed so obvious to her. "She doesn't know why he's mad at her, and she doesn't want to talk to him so she can't find it out."

"But why doesn't she want to talk to him ?" he asked, confused.

"It's... complicated. Nathan did something that upset her. And he did it because he was angry."

"Oh."

Julian gulped, fidgeting on his chair. He took a deep breath and put his head in his hands. Peyton gazed at him, wondering what was up with him and what was seemingly tormenting him. When he looked up, he was clearly avoiding her eyes, preferring her rug.

"There's something I have to tell you."

Her eyes widened; wait, was he going to tell her about his feelings ? No, it was too soon for her, way too soon.. He knew that, but was still about to tell her everything. And if she was right, if everyone was right about the nature of his feelings, then he would want an answer from her. But she didn't know what to tell him, not now, not here...

"I screwed up."

Peyton was first relieved to see that he was not about to talk about feelings and such. Then as she noticed his guilt-ridden face, she wondered what he had done to get in such a state.

"And I should have told you before, but..."

"What are you talking about ?"

"I said some stuff... to Nathan. Stuff that he wasn't supposed to know."

"What stuff ?" she asked him hastily.

He finally dared to look at her, and Peyton's anxiety went up a notch when she saw how sad he looked. "I told him about Brooke's meeting with his brother."

Peyton froze for a minute, and noticed that her fists had clenched mechanically. She opened her mouth, a multitude of questions rushing in her mind, though all she managed to ask was, "Why ?"

"I... I slipped up, I didn't mean to." he said, making a face. "But I didn't tell him that Brooke was in love with..."

"Thank God you didn't !" she shouted, rising on her knees. "How could you do that ?"

"I didn't know Nathan didn't know ! We were talking and..."

She couldn't believe it. How could he have betrayed her ? The only reason why Brooke and her had been talking about things regarding her and Lucas in front of him was because they had been certain that he wouldn't repeat a thing to anyone, and especially not Nathan. Well, at least now she knew why Nathan had acted so weird...

"It was Friday night, right ? Right after the match ?"

"Yes," he said, remorseful.

She scowled at him, trying her best not to lose her temper. "I think we're done," she said on a cold tone.

"Peyt..."

"Just go home," she sharply said, "you've got everything you wanted, don't you ? So what the fuck are you still doing here ?!" she shouted angrily.

He sighed, a desperate look on his face; if he thought his sad puppy eyes would work on her, he was completely mistaken. She kept glowering at him, and he finally stood up. "Can I..."

"Get out !"

She sighed when he crossed the door and fell back on her bed, her hands trembshaking like crazy.

Peyton had always had trust issues. On that, Brooke and her were a lot alike, and for a long time they had only depended only on each other. But when it was about trusting someone, Peyton was way more wary than Brooke.

And yet this time, she had thought that she had finally met someone else with whom she could share her secrets... She had been so wrong !

And how was she going to say that to Brooke ?

Peyton didn't get a long time to think about it, for her friend barged into her bedroom a few minutes later.

"I saw Julian on my way here, he looked... weird." Brooke said on a cheerful tone, that quickly disappeared when she saw her lying on her bed, both furious and dejected at the same time. "What's wrong ? What happened ?"

Her eyes filled with worry, Brooke sat next to her on the bed, and Peyton looked up at her. "I yelled at him."

"Why ?" Brooke asked, bewildered.

"Because..." Peyton sat back like her friend, "Do you remember Tim's after-game night ?"

"Yeah..." she murmured.

"He talked to Nathan. And I don't know how they got there, but he told Nathan about you, Lucas and the library."

Brooke's jaw dropped, astonished. "He told him ?!" she cried loudly. "Why did he do that ?"

"He says it wasn't on purpose," Peyton mumbled, not believing him.

"I can't believe it," she said, shaking her head. "I can't believe Julian..."

None of this would have happened if she hadn't spent so much time with him... He wouldn't have known anything and thus would not have said a word to Nathan.

Peyton sighed and put an arm around her friend's shoulders, who seemed to be reflecting deeply.

"Then that's why..." she murmured with a frown. "That's why he went nuts at the Café."

"That's not an excuse !" Peyton said, shaking her head. "He still acted like an ass."

She knew she was being hard on Nathan but hey, no one could mess with her best friend and casually get away with it. "It's even worse than I thought," Brooke murmured with a quavering voice. "That's why he wouldn't stop staring at Lucas when I was trying to talk to him and when he went all Karofsky on me... He just wanted to prove him that we're dating." She stood up on the floor and looked at Peyton, her eyes burning, "He just wanted to stake his territory !"

"What the hell is wrong with him ?" Peyton added with a frown. "You're not even dating for real and he loses it for what ? Because you meet every evening ? So what, you're not sleeping together ! And even if you were, it's none of his business anyway !"

Brooke looked at her, indignant. "It is. For some reason, when it's about Lucas, he's like a completely different person."

"So what are you gonna do ?"

Brooke stayed silent for a while, thoughtful and confused at the same time. "I don't have much choice now, I have to talk to him. I have to get things straight, and... I have to tell him about my feelings for his brother, before anyone else tells him." She sighed, leaning on the desk behind her. "It's just so infuriating you know... The way he thinks he can treat me like his property..." she murmured with a frown."

"I think we should teach him a lesson, he seriously needs one," Peyton said, standing up.

"Yeah, you're right, but what can I do now ?"

Good question. Well, she did have something in mind to get her revenge, in order to annoy him. It was quite childish and stupid, but Nathan really deserved it.

"I have an idea," she said with a grin.

 **Nathan Scott**

Nathan couldn't remember ever going through a worse day than this Friday.

The first thing that came to his mind, when he opened his eyes, was tonight's game. He closed his eyes, trying to get back to sleep, but quickly realized that it would be impossible. So he figured he could just get up, and opened his curtains to let the daylight through his window.

Instead of gazing at his garden through clean windows, he only saw some kind of slop spread on the panes. Slop ? No. When he opened his windows, he realized it was eggs. Someone had thrown a dozen of eggs against his room's façade.

Grumbling and swearing against everything that was going through his mind, he went on with his routine and when he went downstairs to have his breakfast, asked his mother if she had received eggs on her window. She replied that no, she hadn't noticed a thing, which made him wonder if he was actually targeted, but rapidly put this thought aside.

When he went out to his car, parked in the driveway, he realized with horror that his windows weren't the only victims of his mysterious egg launchers. But they hadn't just used eggs on his car, no they had also thrown toilet paper and shaving foam on it. Cursing his attackers once again, he decided to take the bus to school, but as he was reaching the nearest bus stop, he could see the bus already driving away from him. Now all he could do was walk to school.

That was how he arrived late for his first class that day. Not that it had never happened before, but he usually was only five minutes late. That morning though, when he came in history class more than thirty minutes late, his teacher completely lost it, reminding him of all the countless times he had been late. Nathan did try to explain to him that it wasn't his fault, but didn't manage to avoid getting two hours of detention.

Nathan thus spent his day complaining about anything and everything, this mood worsening with every hour. Of course, the prospect of his match wasn't helping at all, even if he was trying not to think about it, or at least to think positively about it. Which was easier said than done. He still managed not to yield to the the pressure of a new loss, at least not until the last thirty minutes before the game. Then, and then only, Nathan felt as if he was approaching his boiling point in the locker room, surrounded by team-mates who were trying to reassure him.

He decided to get some fresh air, and left through the gym's back-door. Sitting on the low wall parallel to the building, he was trying to take deep and slow breaths, ignoring the crowd who was several feet behind him, chanting the Raven's name like a mantra. His mother, the night before, had advised him to take yoga lessons to learn how to empty his mind. What she didn't know was that the only thing that could calm him right now was being with Haley. But she had clearly told him that she wouldn't come tonight, explaining that she didn't want to meet him too much, out of consideration for Brooke, even if they weren't doing anything wrong. It was definitely about time he told Haley about the true nature of his relationship with her...

When he heard footsteps behind him, he turned around, ready to get rid of anyone who was approaching him, but instead froze when he saw who had come to see him and to sit beside him.

He felt like they hadn't talked in months, and wondered why she was coming to see him first. It was pretty obvious that she was still nervous around him. So if Brooke came to talk to him, it could only be a good sign, right ?

"Are you nervous ?" she asked him quietly.

"No, I'm fine."

"Yeah, right," she replied with a slight nudge.

He was relieved to see that they could still talk naturally. "Fine," he admitted, "at this rate I might crap myself."

"You know you're gonna win this," she said with a slight smile.

"I hope you're right." And then nothing. She apparently had no other small talk to exchange, which meant it was his turn to talk. To get to the real issue. "Brooke, I..."

"Yeah ?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"About what happened... What I did at the Café, I'm sorry," he said, looking down in shame. "I'm really sorry. I don't think I can apologize enough for what I did, I should have never done that to you..."

She stared at him for a short instant, her lips tightened. "At least you know you shouldn't have."

"Of course I know that," he said with a sigh. "You have no idea how bad I've felt since that day..." Nathan lowered his head, hiding it in his hands, looking for a refuge far from Brooke's strict and accusing gaze.

"I'm not mad at you," she said on a surprisingly soft tone. He looked up at her, startled. "Okay I am," she immediately added, "but just a little. A lot actually, but..."

"I was really mad," he tried to explain. "Really, really mad, I wasn't thinking straight..."

"Because of what Julian told you ?"

He opened his eyes wide, stupefied. "How do you know that ?"

"He told Peyton."

The poor guy, he was in a right mess now... But now was not the time to think about that. "Yes, that's why I was angry."

"That was really stupid then," she retorted on a much colder voice, "all we do with Lucas when we meet is talk, nothing else."

"That's not the problem," he said, shaking his head. "I don't want you to be close to him..."

"You can't control my every move, Nate, or anyone else's for that matter," she cut him off. "That's not what friends do."

"I know !" he cried. "I know that, but.. I just didn't want you to be friends with him, that's all."

"But why ? He's not dangerous, as far as I know !"

"But he's better than me !" he shouted, springing on his feet, making her jump in the process.

He had always been better than him, and that was what Dan...

Oh no, he couldn't think about that now, not tonight. Dan was the least of his worries tonight.

"I still don't get it..." Brooke murmured. "It's too late anyway."

Nathan turned around, stunned. "Too late ?" he repeated nervously, dreading what she meant by that.

"Yeah, I already get along with him." Ah, it was just that. For a second there, he thought she was going to say that... "But it's not just that," she added, taking a deep breath, as if to gather some courage. "I like him. A lot." she said quietly.

He stayed frozen, two meters in front of her, watching her stare at her feet, her cheeks turned crimson, while her words were replaying in his head.

First Lucas who was in love with Brooke, and now...

It was too much for him. Much more than he could handle. With his left arm, he grabbed the pole next to him, trying hard not to explode right now.

"Is this a joke ?" he murmured, still dumbfounded.

"Believe me, I wish it was one," she said, her gaze travelling to him. "And it's not like I did it on purpose..."

"How could you do that to me ?!"

She frowned, clearly irritated by his reaction, "I'm telling you I didn't choose a thing !" she fiercely yelled. "You think I enjoy pining for a teacher who sees me as nothing else than a child ?"

Her voice still trembling, she crossed her arms and stubbornly fixed the ground. He knew that she was doing her best not to cry in front of him, and deep down he really wanted her to hold back her tears. Because if she were to cry, then he would immediately forget about his anger and would do his best to comfort her. But right now, he didn't want to show any sign of support.

He could have put an end to her torment, tell her she was wrong and that Lucas was sharing her feelings, but his gut was telling him to stay quiet.

"You had it coming," he said harshly, "with all these nights you spent with him."

"You're seriously saying this is my fault ?" she asked, standing up with clenched fists.

"Well I definitely didn't push you in his arms !"

"But I didn't want to !" she cried, her face completely red, "I didn't... Argh ! You really don't get anything !"

"No, I don't," he replied coldly. "I don't get how you could betray me like that."

Brooke let out a smirk, "Betray you ? Seriously ? Do you even hear yourself right now ?"

"Brooke, I hate the guy, I hate his guts and you knew it ! And yet you stuck to him like glue..."

"Oh shut up, Nate ! You don't get to judge me !" They shot dirty looks at each other for several seconds, not knowinng what to say, since there was simply nothing left to say. "So what do we do now ?" she asked, sitting back on the wall.

"Can you stop seeing him ?"

She looked up at him, startled. She still took her time to seriously think about it, "No," she eventually said with a sigh.

"Well, then..."

He gulped, realizing there was only one last thing to do. Now that they were here, it was too late to back-pedal... But he knew that acting now meant taking the risk of losing her.

But it wasn't like he had a choice anymore, they couldn't go onlike that. At least he couldn't, not with what she had just told him.

Words didn't seem to come out of his mouth, as if they were stuck in the lump in his throat. It was probably because he was fully aware that he was about to hurt her, but there wasn't any other solution. He was hurt, too.

Why did it have to be Lucas ? Anyone else would have been fine, great even, and he would have been happy for her, but Lucas... It was always him.

"Let's stop ?" he quietly asked her, though it wasn't either a real question nor a proposition.

Whatever she would say, his decision was already made. Brooke's eyes widened a bit, and he saw that they were filled with a mix of anger, disappointment and sadness. And fatality.

"We managed to stand each other for quite a long time," she murmured, heavyhearted.

He sighed, not having anything to add to that. Nathan then walked to the gym, unwilling to spend another second in this awkward silence.

He blinked at the spotlights and immediately joined his team. After running a bit to warm up, he mechanically went to the centre ring, opposite his adversary. The referee was standing between them, ready to throw the ball in the air.

Nathan felt like he had reached his lowest point. The semblance of will and envy that he had managed to sustain so far had vanished a few minutes earlier.

Before the game started for real, his eyes travelled around the bleachers, and stopped on a girl standing on the top row, looking at him with a shy smile.

Wait... Was he hallucinating ? She had told him numerous times that she wouldn't come tonight.

He watched his opponent again, Haley's face stuck in his head, and his blissful smile seemed to unsettled him.

When the whistle rang out, he jumped as high as he could, completely clearing his mind.

* * *

That's it for chapter 10 ! Next chapter will be up in 5-7 days ;)


	11. Confessions, Pt 1

**CONFESSIONS, PT. 1**

 **Brooke Davis**

Brooke opened the door leading to her bedroom and let Haley in. Following her, she closed the door behind them so that they wouldn't hear the loud and cheerful voices of their parents coming from downstairs.

The James had come for dinner at her place, after Ted had invited them two days earlier. He hadn't even told Brooke he wanted to meet them, and had only told her that same morning, stating that it was simply natural to meet the parents of his daughter's soon-to-be roommate.

Haley quickly turned to her, "Your parents are really nice," she said with a smile.

"Sounds like they're getting along really well with yours."

Noticing how she was standing still, not knowing where to sit, Brooke motioned to her bed. "So, what do you want talk about ?" she asked, curious to know what could be so secret that she would ask for a private conversation.

Haley glanced at her for a few seconds, fidgeting and nervously playing with the coverlet she was sitting on. She cleared her throat twice, clearly hesitating to speak any further. "It's about Nathan." she eventually said in a hushed voice.

"You already know ?" Brooke asked, startled. Only twenty-four hours had passed since their break-up, and the whole town already knew ?

"He, erm... He told me that... you weren't actually dating ? Is that true ?"

Brooke stepped back and bumped into her armchair before slumping on it, a dumbstruck look on her face.

How did she know ? Their breakup was probably not much of a secret by now, but this ? Had Nathan told everyone ? Their deal was off, yes, but they had never agreed on revealing their trickery to anyone. It seemed pretty obvious to her that it was in their best interest to stay quiet about it.

"He told you ?"

"Yes... Yesterday night, after the game."

Yesterday night ? Everyone had been thrown off by Nathan's absence at the after-game party, despite his team's crushing triumph. Against all odds, he had indeed declared that he was too tired to celebrate and only wanted to go home. If that was the case, when had he talked to Haley ? And more importantly, why would he even tell her ?

"I didn't know you were that close..." she murmured with a frown.

"There's more too," Haley said, her cheeks suddenly turning pink. "I've asked him for days to tell you and he still hasn't, even though I think it's very important that you know."

"What are you talking about ?"

Her eyes drifted away for a second, before landing back on her, "Well..." she said hesitantly. "How would you feel if Nathan would date someone right now ?"

Brooke raised her eyebrows, once again taken aback. On one hand she couldn't see why Haley was even asking her that, and on the other hand... She hadn't really thought about it. He had been free for barely a day, he was probably not thinking of getting a girlfriend now.

"Why would I mind ? It's not like we were in love or anything," she honestly answered. "But if he really gets a girlfriend right after..."

She froze and stopped talking, noticing the sheepish expression on her future roommate's face; what if... What if there was a good reason why Nathan had trusted her with their secret ?

"Wait, don't tell me that... Did he ask you to go out with him ?" she asked, her voice betraying her annoyance.

Brooke couldn't believe that Nathan, when they had just ended their pact, would set his sights on the first person who comes along, and not just anyone either, it was Haley. It was like she didn't know him anymore. How dare he took advantage of Haley ?

"Don't get sucked in," she immediately said.

"Erm, no, it's not what you think..."

"Trust me Haley, he's so impulsive sometimes that you..."

"It's been a while !" she exclaimed, shaking her head. "It's been going on for a while."

A while... Meaning ?

Haley gave out a small sigh, embarrassed, and explained in a murmur that Nathan had first come to the tutoring centre to see her.

Tutoring ? But...

"But you've been tutoring him for more than two months now !" Brooke cried, opening her eyes wide.

"I know," Haley replied, "you were still with him at that time."

Two months ? He had been thinking of putting an end to their pact for two months without telling her ? "He's never told me about you." she said with a frown.

She shrugged, "I think he didn't want to upset you, and... He didn't know how to tell you," she added with a sigh. "He didn't want you to be lonely."

"I'm not made of glass," she murmured, looking down at the floor.

It was a lot of information to process in less than a minute. Nathan was already planning on getting a girlfriend, who happened to be her future roommate ! And he had been thinking about it for several weeks... Now she knew why he used to act so weird whenever he was around Haley. To think that at one point she had thought that he didn't like her... She had been quite naive on this one.

"And he kissed me. Well, I did too."

Brooke looked up at her, startled once again. So he hadn't just been chasing after her, he had moved up a gear ?

"When ?"

"Erm... About three weeks ago, I think," she softly said.

So it was before their break-up, but after they had gotten into their fight... It all made sense now. He knew their deal was coming to an end very soon, so he could afford to be more active with Haley.

They had never been a couple after all. They weren't in love, which meant he could do whatever he wanted, with whomever he wanted. But couldn't he have told her first ? It wasn't like she would have stopped him from getting closer to Haley... Thinking it through, Brooke was pretty sure that she would have even cheered him on. But he had decided to keep silence, even though she had every right to know what he was plotting. He could have even told her yesterday night, right before the game, but no, instead he had told her how dumb she was to be infatuated with Lucas.

"Are you mad at me ?" Haley asked her, looking anxious.

"Mad ?" she repeated a tad too curtly. "A little, yeah. But not against you, I'm not mad at you. It's not your fault you got involved in this huge mess."

"Ah... And if I was going out with him, would you still not be mad ?"

If she was... ?

Oh, how naïve could she get ? For some reason, Brooke had assumed that Nathan's intentions were one-sided, but... She hadn't thought that maybe Haley would share his feelings.

Anyway, whatever her opinion was, Brooke knew very well that she didn't have a say in this. It wasn't her business, at least not anymore.

"You should just do whatever you want," she said, a little reluctantly. "And no, I won't be mad at you. But are you sure that's what you want ?"

"Honestly, no," Haley told her with a hint of a smile. "Even now, I'm not sure, but... I still want to give it a try."

"Follow your guts then," she sighed with a smile, inwardly praying that she hadn't been wrong.

Now that they weren't really talking anymore, Brooke didn't know how she could get to that subject with Nathan. Not that she didn't want to, but... She hadn't even congratulated him at the end of his match. She hadn't gone to the after-game night either, and had decided to go straight home. Peyton had asked her what was wrong, and when she was done telling her everything that had happened, she had told her friend that she would come with her. They had thus both gone to Peyton's house and had baked cookies until 2 am.

 **Lucas Scott**

For what seemed to be the thirtieth time in the day, Lucas checked his cellphone, and noticed once again that he hadn't received any message.

It was Sunday, and usually not getting a message from one's boss was quite normal for a Sunday; but not for Lucas. Not after he had sent the second half of his book to his editor. Lucas had foreseen the absence of immediate reaction from Lindsay, but he hadn't thought it would last that long.

He was thus starting to get impatient, especially since he figured that the more time she was taking, the less she was liking it. Lindsay had however loved the first part, so she wasn't going to hate the second, was she ?

Waiting for her news, Lucas was painfully grading papers, sitting behind the counter at his mother's Café. He had been swamped with them for over a week now, and finally seemed to see the end of it, though worryingly. Every paper seemed to bring more grammar mistakes than the previous one... You'd think that soon enough, they would be beyond understanding.

"Lucas ?"

He span on his stool and saw his mother coming from the kitchen, a huge calendar in her hands, the one she always hanged on the kitchen's doors. Holding out a black felt pen, she sat down next to him, her brow furrowed in concentration.

"I have to prepare the schedule for next month, do you have a minute ?"

"Sure," he said, putting down his own pen.

"So... The girls will be busy preparing for their finals. Oh and in two weeks, none of them will be there for the weekend, so could you..."

"I'll be there," he cut her off with a shrug. "It's too bad they're both absent at the same time, can't you ask one of them to change their plans ?"

Karen wrote her son's name in two boxes, then looked at him, an eyebrow raised. "I know that," she retorted, "but they're leaving together, so I don't have much of a choice."

"Ah, well then... And where are they going ?"

"You don't know ?" Know what ? "They're gonna live together next year."

Lucas raised his eyebrows, not even trying to hide his surprise, "Brooke and... Haley ?"

"Yeah. They're going to check apartments."

Haley ? Wait, wasn't she supposed to go to Cambridge ? So how could she live with Brooke if they were living hundreds of miles away from each other ? "But... Isn't Haley going to Cambridge ?"

"Yes, which is right next to Boston's university."

"Boston ?" he repeated, puzzled.

"Which is where Brooke is going."

Brooke was going to... ? What ? Since when ? Well, of course after trying so hard to avoid her, he had completely missed that... "And what is she gonna do there ?" he asked as offhandedly as possible.

Karen glanced at him sideways, a crooked grin mysteriously appearing on her lips. "I thought she'd tell you," she said, standing up, "she's going for literature."

He swiftly turned around, but his mother was already gone.

He didn't know what was going on at all. Last time he had heard from her, Victoria wanted her to go in a business school in New York. But now, she was going for literature in Boston ? What had happened since then ?

Lucas looked at his clients, grabbing his pen.

What an idiot... He had been so obsessed with the idea of not seeing her for a while that he had completely forgotten the situation she had been stuck in with her mother. But it seemed that she had found a solution on her own, which was great, but... He was really dying to get some details now.

And also... Literature ? Had he actually influenced her ? He liked to think that he had, but how could he know for sure ?

Lucas sighed, torn between his struggle to get away from her, and his growing curiosity about her future plans.

She was going to Boston ? Boston ?

 **Nathan Scott**

"You.. You told her everything ?" Nathan repeated, his voice suddenly high-pitched. Haley, sitting down next to him on his couch, simply nodded. "What do you mean by everything ?"

"What you told me right after the game, and about the tutoring too," she explained with a shrug.

"I wanted to do it myself..." he murmured, upset.

"Look, I just figured you had way enough time to tell her, ,and I didn't want to lie to her any longer," she retorted sharply. "I mean, you know how great she's been with me ! She got me a job, and now a place to stay... I couldn't just stay silent." Nathan sighed, burying his face in his hands. Now Brooke was probably furious that he hadn't told her himself... "Are you angry that I told her ?" she asked, a worried frown crossing her face.

"No," he immediately said, "I mean, I know why you did that." Still, things were only going to get worse between Brooke and him now. "How did she react ?" he asked, raising his eyes to hers.

"Pretty well."

Which wasn't really surprising, since she was in love with Lucas. Just thinking about it made him nauseous... "Yeah ?"

"But she doesn't understand why you didn't tell her a thing," Haley added.

Of course she didn't, but back then, he had been scared to upset her or make her lonely. He had not imagined for a second that in fact, all this while, she had been into Lucas. "I just didn't want to hurt her," he eventually said with a shrug.

"That's what I told her, but..."

"It's okay," he cut her off with a grateful smile, "you've already done a lot." She gave him back his smile and leaned forward to kiss him. "You know..." he whispered to her ear, his left hand sliding behind her back. "We're alone for several more hours..." It didn't seem to delight Haley, for she suddenly stiffened and moved backwards on the couch. "I... I'm going too fast, right ?" he asked her, his brow furrowed in anxiety.

She shook her head, "It's not that, Nathan. We were talking."

"And we're not done ?"

"No. There's still one thing I'd like to know." Haley suddenly didn't look as stern; she actually looked unsure of herself, and that couldn't be a good omen. "If you don't want to answer, fine, I won't mind... Well just a little. But I really have to ask you."

"Ask me what ?"

"What did you do to Brooke to upset her that much ?" she asked with a frown.

Nathan gulped; he knew this question was coming sooner or later, but was hoping to get some more time... He had even wished that Haley would simply forget about it and never ask him.

He sighed, then leaned on the couch, his stretched out arm brushing Haley's shoulder.

"I don't mind telling you... And I should tell you, but I'm scared of your reaction."

This didn't seem to satisfy Haley's curiosity, and he realized that he had no other choice but to tell her everything.

"Alright," he murmured reluctantly. "But first, I have to tell you that when Lucas came back in town, Brooke promised me that she wouldn't get close to him." Haley nodded silently, confusion filling her face as she was probably wondering why he would even make her promise such a thing. "And she didn't keep her promise. Julian told me that they're meeting almost every night, to talk about books or something."

"Books ?" she repeated, surprised.

"Yeah, well that's what he said... And... It pissed me. I was really, really mad and when the next morning I heard that they were once again together at the Café..." he said, carefully choosing his words. "I forced her to kiss me in front of him."

Haley raised her eyebrows, her mouth slightly opening in surprise. It was only after a few seconds that she said, "Because she was talking too much for your taste to Lucas ? Why would you do that ?"

"It's more complicated than that," Nathan said with a sigh, his eyes drifting to the coffee table near them.

"How ?!" she cried, indignant. "Explain to me then, because I really can't see why you're acting that way !"

He watched her for a moment, wondering if he could really tell her. Tell her everything. Even Brooke didn't know about this because... Because he was not the kind to pour his heart out. And even if he were, she had never understood why his relationship with Lucas was so strained. As an only child in search of a real family, it never made any sense to her that he could have a brother and yet avoid him like the plague.

But Haley was different. She came from a large family and she knew how complicated things could get with siblings.

"You know how Lucas if my half-brother ?"

She rolled her eyes, "I don't think there's a single person in this town who ignores that."

"Alright. Dan was with Karen, they had a child, Lucas. Then he started an affair with his secretary, aka my mother. She got pregnant, so Dan left Karen. Lucas was four... No, three and a half. He paid for child support every month until Lucas turned eighteen." That was what almost everyone knew. It was from there that things would get complicated... "I was six when I first heard of Lucas."

"Six ?" she repeated, startled.

"No, I mean, I knew I had a brother, but my father had told me that it was useless to talk about him, that he wasn't part of the family," he tried to explain as clearly as possible. "I didn't really know how my brother could not be in our family, but I was listening to my father."

"The voice of reason," Haley murmured.

"Right," he said with a nod. "So I was six, and I just got in first grade. My teacher reacted when she read my name and she asked me how Lucas was doing. I asked her who she was talking about."

"Wait," she said, straightening her back, "you didn't even know his name ?"

"No. The teacher was surprised too, she thought I was joking. She told me she was obviously talking about my big brother. I told her that I didn't know him," he added. "You should have seen the others' faces, they were completely lost."

"Did they ask you about him ?" Haley asked in a soft voice.

"Yeah. They kept asking me if I had a brother or not, but I didn't know what to say. So, when I got home..."

"You asked your father."

"Yup. He said that I didn't have a brother. But my teacher kept saying I had one, and I was confused and then I got angry. So... I started messing around in class, nothing serious though. I used to write on the walls, I would pull girls' hair, lock people in the toilets..." He stopped for a moment, watching Haley's reaction. She wasn't letting anything show on her face and kept listening to him with focus; but he could see that she was clearly upset. "My mother didn't know what was going on with me, and she wanted to take me to a shrink. But Dan refused because, according to him, no one in his family was crazy and that I'd better stop making such a fuss. And then..."

Nathan quietly sighed, fully aware that if he kept talking, it would be impossible to backtrack. He would have to tell her the whole story. But did he really want to ? It was his own story after all, nothing was forcing him to confide into anyone. And Brooke didn't mind not knowing everything about him.

"Then what ?"

But then again, Haley was not Brooke. She obviously wanted to know. She wanted him to be able to tell her. "He..." he said, hesitating. "He told me that Lucas had always remarkably well behaved at school."

"Nathan..."

"It was the first time he compared us." he explained, holding back a sigh. The first of many. "I was a kid, but I wasn't stupid. The more he compared us, the more I realized that in order to do so, he had to have information on Lucas. For someone who kept saying that he didn't want him in our family, he sure knew and talked a lot about him."

Haley frowned, "But... You must have been so confused."

"I was. But it all got even worse with basketball."

She opened her eyes wide, horrified. "Don't tell me that... Did he put you to basketball to compete with Lucas ?"

"No !" he immediately said. "No, that's in my blood... But when Lucas entered middle school, he started playing for the school team. And Dan took me to all his games."

"Why..." she said, confused. "Why would he do that ?"

"I honestly don't know," he said with a shrug. "We used to sit on the lowest bleachers, on the right side, the seats that were closest to the exit, and Dan used to say that we couldn't be noticed. Right before the game started, he would remind me that Lucas was not a real Scott and then... He would point out all his strong points. And then he would tell me that as a true Scott, I should be able to do better than him and when we got home, we'd work on all those points so that I could surpass him."

"But couldn't you tell him that..."

"I was seven," he said with a jaded smile. Haley reached out her hand to take his and crawled close to him, placing their intertwined hands on her lap. "Then Lucas went to high school and we kept going to his games. It was even worse at that time, because I was in middle school and all my teachers kept telling me that I was so different from him. In every parent's evening there was a least one to tell me that Lucas was much calmer at my age. And Dan... Well, he kept telling me that I should be ashamed."

She stayed silent, her eyes fixated on him, probably aware that nothing she could say could make him feel better. "And how were things with Lucas ?" she asked after a few seconds.

"Awful," he said, making a face. "I always... I always felt like he was looking down on me. And I don't think he liked me a lot either, he probably took me for responsible for his parent's divorce."

"Did he tell you that ?"

"No, but that's what everyone thought. And we used to fight whenever we met. He always had the upper hand of course, he was a full head taller than me back then... But he stopped when he went to high school."

"Stopped what ?" she asked with a frown.

"Provoking me. Except that... my anger and frustration only got bigger. And then... Then my father had a heart attack. He was diagnosed with a heart condition and we both got tested. I was negative, Lucas was not. I..." He stopped, fearing that he was going too far.

"You what, Nathan ?"

"Erm... I just thought that it was the first time I was beating him to anything."

"Oh, Nathan..." she said in dismay.

"I know," he cut her off, "I was an ass for thinking that, but I was twelve and all I wanted was to prove myself."

And even now, even though he was neither delighted nor proud of it, he still felt like it was the only fight he had ever won against him. And yet he knew very well that it was just random genetics, a 50-50 chance.

"Lucas had to stop playing. And it... relieved me."

"Why ?"

"Because that meant I could beat him in high school, that's all I was obsessed with. But I actually forgot all about it, because once Lucas graduated, I was suddenly free." He sounded as if he was exaggerating things... But it was really how he had lived it. "My teachers were still asking me about him, but Dan kept quiet. For one year he didn't say a word on him..."

"What happened after a year ?"

"His book was published," he said with a snort. "The prodigal son was back. I didn't..."

Nathan froze when he heard his front door open. He checked the clock hanging on the wall in front of them and saw with surprise that his father was passing by the hall, even though he was supposed to come home late tonight. He crossed the hallway, briefly glancing at his son, and went to the stairs. Instead of climbing them, he walked back to the threshold of the living room, staring at them, or rather at Haley, with bewilderment.

Haley slightly frowned and turned around, realising they weren't alone anymore. Nathan could only see her back now, but he could imagine her quite embarrassed face.

"Nice to meet you, mister Scott," she said with a smile.

Dan raised his eyebrows then turned to his son, staring at him blankly. "Who's that ?"

"You don't have to be so rude," he retorted with a glower. "It's Haley."

"Haley ?" he repeated, puzzled, his eyes landing on their hands joined together. "And what does Brooke say about this ?"

"We broke up," he replied offhandedly.

Dan's eyes widened a little more and drifted to Haley, staring at her for a short moment, which immediately annoyed Nathan; he knew his father was comparing them. "That makes one more mistake to your credit, then."

"I don't think so, no."

"I don't think you're in any position to talk about mistakes, sir," Haley curtly said to him.

Nathan glanced at her in surprise, wondering what was going into her, but stayed silent when he felt her hand squeeze his.

His father raised an eyebrow, and slowly shook his head, "Brooke was much more friendlier."

Before Nathan could say anything back, he disappeared from the room, probably to go to his office upstairs. "I'm sorry," he murmured, "please don't pay attention to what he says."

Haley didn't move an inch, facing the threshold and refusing to watch him, so much that he had to grab her face to make her turn to him.

He furrowed his brow when he realised that she was obviously upset by what Dan had just told her, and that he couldn't see a sign left of the indignation she had displayed in her outburst.

"I swear he's only doing this to piss me," he added, "you really shouldn't listen to him."

His hands still resting on her cheeks, he softly kissed her, but quickly felt that she was only half there, and that part of her was still lingering on Dan's words.

"I guess we'll have to put the rest of this story off until later," he sighed, not willing to say a single more word on this as long as Dan was under the same room.

"Oh," she said, getting out of her trance with disappointment. "I should go home then."

She started getting up, prompting him to grab her wrist. "Because of what he said ?"

"No, no," she said with a forced smile, "I'm just a little tired. But that doesn't mean I don't want to hear the rest of your story," she added on a more serious tone, "because I really do. I think... I think that I understand you a bit better now."

"So you're not mad at me for what I did to Brooke..." he said with a relieved voice.

"I am, I think it was stupid and completely inappropriate," she said, shaking her head. "But I get you better."

 **Brooke Davis**

Brooke slammed her locker door and walked to the school exit. Peyton was already waiting for her in front of her car; she had earlier offered to drop her at the Café on her way home.

On the road, Brooke quickly glanced at her friend, and thought of the meeting she had had that same morning.

"Hey, have you seen Julian today ?" she asked her, as offhandedly as she could.

Peyton slightly frowned, her eyes fixed on the road. "No. Why ?"

Because she had. Between two classes, Julian had called out to her in the hallway. Brooke had of course ignored him at first, but he had insisted to talk for just a minute. Though miffed, she had accepted with the firm intention to put him in his place and make sure he wouldn't bother her or Peyton anymore.

Julian had asked her how angry Peyton was against him. She had replied that she was angry enough not to want to see his face. He had sighed, and explained that he had tried to talk to her this whole weekend. Brooke obviously already knew that, since Peyton had complained about being harassed over the phone.

He had then told her that his conversation with Nathan had been nothing more than an accident, and that he had never wanted to...

Brooke had immediately cut him off, telling him that she didn't care about that, what was done was done. He had then asked her if she could talk to Peyton about it ? Sure, she could, but why would she ? She didn't want to help him, at all.

However, in retrospect, she might have been a little severe with him. But it was necessary, wasn't it ? After all, he had told Nathan things he was supposed to keep secret.

But then, the more she thought about it, the more she figured that even if he had been a tattle-tale... Without his intervention, she never would have managed to get out of the situation in which she had been stuck for far too long with Nathan. In the end, she had to admit that she wasn't even sure that she would have had the guts to tell him about Lucas on her own. In a way, Julian had really helped her...

Plus, he had seemed so desperate and genuine. He simply wanted her to talk to Peyton, nothing more, so...

"Have you ?" Peyton asked her.

"Erm, yeah, this morning... You know, he feels very guilty."

"Please don't tell me you've already forgiven him," she retorted, rolling her eyes.

"No, but... Don't you think that he kind of helped me, when he talked to Nathan ?"

"You really think so ? It wasn't his place to tell him that."

"I know, but..."

"Then what ? Do you want me to forget that I can't trust him ?"

Brooke quietly sighed, perfectly aware of why Peyton was so defensive. "It's not like he did it on purpose. And he feels really bad about it."

"Good, but that doesn't change a thing..."

Brooke turned to the door, watching the road pass before her eyes. At least, she had tried...

When she reached her destination, she came in the Café and noticed that Haley was sitting at the bar. She quickly went to see her, wondering if she hadn't gotten the date wrong.

"Are you working today ?" she asked her, walking behind the counter.

"No," Haley murmured, her eyes lowered to her hands.

Brooke froze for a second, realising that she looked completely dejected. "What's wrong ?"

 **Nathan Scott**

"Is it true ?" Tim asked him.

Nathan didn't even take a look at him, trying to focus on his game. "Just drop it, Tim." he snapped before running in the opposite direction.

For the last fifteen minutes, Tim had been tirelessly asking him the same questions over and over again, even if he knew their answers very well.

That same morning, he had come to school with Haley. It was something that seemed perfectly trifling to him, but had somehow provoked a landslide to those he knew directly or indirectly, especially his teammates who had apparently elected Tim as their spokesperson.

He didn't get why his relationship with Haley was that puzzling to them... Well, he did see why, but it wasn't their business at all.

"Come on, Nate !" Tim cried, running behind him. "Is it true or not ?"

"How about we play instead of..."

The sound of a whistle resounded and made them all freeze, confused as to why their coach was ending this game when they still had ten good minutes to play. Nathan gulped when he saw that Tim and him were in Whitey's focus.

"Will you stop chatting like teenage girls ?!" he yelled at them, his face turning red, blue veins popping out on his forehead. "We have a final in one week, don't you have anything else to do ?! Twenty rounds for you both when this game is over !"

He whistled again, prompting them to get back to their game. Nathan only glimpsed of the Coach whispering at Lucas' ear before running again.

He understood when their training was over what he had told him; Lucas indeed stayed back when the rest of the team and Whitey himself had left, to make sure that Tim and him were doing their rounds. Maybe Lucas had seen this as a chance to talk to him... Well if he had, he was wrong, for he was not ready to tell him a single word.

"What the hell are you talking about ?" he whispered to Tim, exasperated, after he had talked to him again.

"I heard you're going out with tutor nerd..."

"She has a name," he exclaimed in a harsh tone. "Haley. And yes, we're dating."

"But why ?"

 **Brooke Davis**

"I heard some girls talk..." Haley murmured, watching the hot chocolate Brooke had just poured her.

"Where ?"

"At school, in the toilets. It was a bunch of girls talking about Nathan and me," she said, finally looking up at her. "They're wondering why we're going out."

"Oh," Brooke said, lost for words.

Haley seemed embarrassed to tell her about this, as she quickly added : "I'm sorry to tell you this, but I don't know who else to talk to. All my other friends are boys and they all play with Nathan now so I can't really..."

"It's okay," Brooke replied with a shrug, "I don't mind."

Which wasn't entirely true; but maybe talking about it with Haley would get her used to this new situation more quickly.

 **Nathan Scott**

"What kind of question is that ?" he retorted, shaking his head.

"Huh ? Why do you say that ?"

"Seriously Tim, why do you think I would go out with a girl ?" he asked him with a sigh.

"You're trying to forget Brooke, right ? After she dumped you..."

 **Brooke Davis**

"And then they were saying that Nathan was awful to get a new girlfriend just two days after breaking up with you..."

"You shouldn't pay attention to them," Brooke said, shaking her head. "They have no idea what they're talking about. First of all, we weren't even dating, and everyone knows we were fighting way before our official break-up."

"Yeah, but that's why," Haley said, tightening her grip around her mug, "they think I'm a home-wrecker."

 **Nathan Scott**

"She didn't dump me," he reluctantly answered. "We both wanted to end things."

"Yeah ? Then why aren't you talking anymore ?"

"It's not that we're not talking..." he said, looking stealthily at Lucas. "It's just that we don't have anything to say."

Tim stared at him for a few seconds, his brow furrowed. "I don't get it."

"That's why we usually don't talk about this stuff."

"But even if she didn't dump you", he kept talking, ignoring Nathan's remark, "you still replaced her pretty fast."

"So ?"

"You're not scared that she'll hold it against you ?"

Nathan couldn't help but look at Lucas once again, who was relentlessly watching them from afar. "Trust me," he murmured, looking back at Tim, "I think it's the least of her worries..."

"Alright, if you say so, but then... Why did you pick tutor ner – Haley. Why her, you can get much better..."

 **Brooke Davis**

Haley was simply not used to being the centre of attention in that way; it was no surprise that she was this shaken. Brooke gently smiled at her, trying to reassure her in the best way she could.

"Look, the most important thing is what Nathan and you know and think." she said before adding, seeing that she was not convinced, "the others don't know a thing, and they absolutely don't know you."

"I can forget about what they say about me, but about Nathan..."

"Don't worry about him," she cut her off, "he's used to this kind of gossip. Did he tell you something about this ?"

Haley sighed, "No."

"Then it means he doesn't mind," she concluded with a grin.

"Are you sure of that ?"

"Yeah but if you want to be sure, then just ask him and you'll see," Brooke said with a shrug. "Anyway I bet that in a few weeks, no one will be talking about you anymore."

Haley smiled back at her, then quietly sighed, her cheeks slightly turning pink : "I know it's silly, but... I was even embarrassed to walk next to him. I mean, because of all the looks we were getting..."

Brooke frowned, and figured that reassuring her wouldn't be enough. Haley needed a serious reminder. "Listen, I don't want to be mean or anything, but... As long as you'll react that way, you can't be surprised if people talk on you like that." Haley's eyes opened wide, but she didn't interrupt her even so. "If you want them to stop looking at you, then you need to learn how to face them, because believe me, it's the last thing they expect from you."

Haley's voice was suddenly very quiet, "But I'm not..."

"That's what I'm talking about !" Brooke cried, thumping the table with her fist and making her jump in surprise. "You need to stop thinking that you're defined by your grades, or your siblings, or by the image that some people you don't even know have of you. What truly matters is your actions. If you don't show them who you are, you can't blame them for taking you for someone else !"

 **Nathan Scott**

"Let him go !" Lucas screamed to his ear, all the while holding him back.

Nathan ignored him, and though he was immobilized, kept glowering at Tim, who hadn't gotten up from the floor since Nathan had jumped at his throat with the intention to make him eat his words. "Apologize !" he shouted again, his face crimson.

"Fine, fine, I'm sorry !" Tim said, dumbstruck.

Nathan instantly stopped wriggling from Lucas' grip, and when his brother noticed it, finally allowed him to move freely again while Tim was getting up, maintaining a security distance between them.

"I was just kidding..." he murmured apologetically.

"Yeah, right," Nathan murmured dryly before going back to his rounds.

He knew perfectly well that he wasn't kidding, at least not entirely. Nathan wasn't blind, he had noticed all the looks they had received since the moment they had crossed the school's entrance this morning, Haley and him.

He knew things wouldn't stay that way for long; even the most vulturous gossip would eventually grow tired of them. It was Haley he was worried about, she wasn't used to this at all.

 **Brooke Davis**

While checking the time to make sure that she wouldn't come home too late, Brooke kept reading her book.

The Café was now empty, and after the last client of the night had left, she had hanged the closed sign on the front door. Karen had asked her to close up tonight, which meant she could leave a little later than usual. Ten pages away from the end of her book, she had figured that Karen wouldn't mind if she lingered a bit in her establishment. Or if she was turning the music louder than usual.

She didn't really feel like going home right now. All she had wished for today was to be alone; and now that she was, she intended to enjoy her time alone as long as she could.

Brooke had never thought that her 'break-up' with Nathan would ruin her Monday. People had kept asking her who had decided to break up, and why, and who the hell Haley was, if she knew about her, if he had cheated on her... All she wanted, was some breathing space.

Seriously, she couldn't have even two seconds for herself. There always had to be someone, in this case Julian and Haley, who would come to her with their own problems.

Sure, she wanted to help them. However, today was one of these days when she really wished she could take a holiday from other people's problems. She hadn't had a single occasion to say how sad she was that she wasn't speaking with Nathan anymore.

They could still talk, of course, but she knew things were different now, after what she had told him about Lucas. Brooke considered though that she had had no other choice than to tell him everything, once she was backed into a corner.

She sighed, and tried to finish the book that she had been devouring at an insane speed. When she heard the doorbell ring, she thought for sure that she was having a streak of bad luck.

"We're closed," she grumbled, her eyes fixed on the page she was reading.

Brooke stopped reading when she heard footsteps in her direction instead of another ring. She frowned, slid a hand under the counter where Karen always kept some pepper spray for extreme situations, and looked up at her visitor, determined to make him flee.

Her fingers stopped tightening around the small bottle when she saw who was walking to her, and she said, her eyebrows raised : "Lucas ?"

She closed her book and placed it before her, ignoring what to do. "Hi," he told her with a shy smile, sitting down on a stool across her. He lowered his eyes to the book and grinned as he was reading its title, "Ah, The brothers Karamazov. Have you finished it ?"

"I was about to," she said, puzzled. "What are you doing here this late ?"

"I was hoping you'd be there," he said, reading the back cover.

Ha ! So now, he remembered her existence ? "Karen told me to close up," she explained, "and I was waiting to finish this, but I can go if..."

"No," he said, finally looking at her, "I'd like to talk to you first."

"Really ?" she asked, unable to hide her scepticism.

"I know I haven't been around lately..." he said apologetically.

Supposedly for his book. Brooke didn't entirely buy that. But she was still wondering what he had to tell her now; and then she got a grip on herself, reminding herself that she didn't need to know. She wished she could just turn up the radio even louder to completely muffle his voice, but she knew she would look crazy, and figured it was best to stay still.

"My mother told me that you're going to Boston in September."

"I am."

"In literature ?"

"Erm... Yeah," she mumbled with an awkward shrug.

"As your literature teacher, I think you could have told me sooner," he said with a lopsided smile that she decided to ignore, cut to the quick.

She wasn't just annoyed because he was once again placing himself as her teacher and thus reminding her that it was plain idiotic to even dream of a relationship with him, but mainly because for once, she had done nothing wrong.

"And when was I supposed to tell you, huh ?" she retorted, her jaw clenched. "When you were running away after class ? When you weren't coming here ? Or when you were cancelling our library meetings ?"

Brooke soon regretted saying that much; he didn't need to know that his absence had affected her to that extent.

"I think I deserved that scolding..." he murmured back, his smile still stuck on his lips. If he thought he could get away with this, he was dead wrong. "Can I still congratulate you ?" he asked in a small voice.

She lifted her chin up, refusing to look at him, but despite all her good will, couldn't help a smile. "What are you waiting for ?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

He chuckled and got up, walking around the counter for a reason she ignored. Then, surprising her even more, he hugged her to, as he had said, congratulate her.

A simple handshake would have been enough, but, hey... She wasn't going to complain.

Lucas quickly backed away, and suddenly seemed nervous, though she didn't know why.

"And, erm... I heard you're moving in with Haley ?" he asked her, sitting next to her.

"Yeah," she said with a shrug.

She took her book back in her hands, but could still feel his burning gaze on her. "Why are you not thrilled by all these news ?"

"You're wrong," she said, reading the last line on her page. "I'm happy to live with Haley, and to go to Boston."

"Then what is it ? What's wrong ?"

Brooke turned to him, slightly irritated. "Why do you absolutely want something to be wrong ?"

"Because..." he said, leaning on her side. He carefully placed a finger on her forehead, right between her eyebrows, "You're getting creased here. What's on your mind ?"

With a swift hand gesture, she moved away his finger and went back to her book. "Nothing. It doesn't matter."

She turned a page, and jumped when the book left her hands; she spun and saw that Lucas was now standing again, holding the book in his hands and way above her head.

"Give it back," she said, holding out a hand.

"What is it ?" he asked stubbornly.

"Give it back !" she cried a little louder.

"Is it your mom ?" he tried, his brow furrowed.

"Lucas, I want my book !"

"Your father then ?"

"IT'S NATHAN !" she burst out, startling him.

She turned to her left and from the corner of her eyes, watched him sit next to her and place her book back on the counter.

"Did he do something to you ?" he asked in a suddenly serious tone.

"No, we just broke up."

Lucas raised his eyebrows in surprise. "When ?

"Right before Friday's game," she said, watching his reaction. "And now he's going out with Haley."

"Haley..." he repeated, befuddled. "You mean your future roommate ?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "And the weirdest part is that I don't mind if he goes out with her, or anyone else for that matters." He shot her a lost glance, silently asking her what was bothering her then. "It's just that we're not together anymore," she murmured.

"You mean... You didn't stay friends ?" he asked after a moment of hesitation.

"I don't know, I think it's too soon to say... But I don't think we are, there's something we can't agree on anyway."

"What is it ?"

She hesitated for a while, wondering what was pushing her to tell him all this, but answered nonetheless. "You."

He seemed at first startled, then quickly unsettled and nervous again. "Did he... Did he say something about me ?" he asked in a quavering voice.

"No..." she murmured, puzzled. What was he talking about ? What could Nathan possibly tell her about him ? "We don't talk about you. But he doesn't accept the fact that we get along, that's it."

"Is that why you guys broke up ?" Lucas asked with a guilt-ridden face.

"Honestly we should have ended things a long time ago," she said with a shrug.

"So then..." he murmured hesitantly. "Why did you stay together ?"

For the pact. Because she had no one else to be with. Because for a short while she hadn't known whether he was only a friend to her or not. Because they could laugh together and the next minute talk about serious things.

She simply shrugged.

Lucas quietly sighed, but to her relief didn't ask for more details. If he had, she would have probably told him the whole story, and Nathan would have been even madder with her, which was a risk she couldn't afford to take.

"You know..." Lucas said, thoughtful. "When I arrived here, it really struck me, the way Nathan was close to you and wanted to protect you that bad. I've only ever seen him as an immature kid, not caring about anyone or anything."

Brooke turned to him, wondering why he was telling her that. "So ?"

"So, I think that you're both so close, that you can only patch things up," he said with a smile that probably meant to be compassionate. "Maybe not right now, but... I'm sure you'll get your smile back."

"I'm not so sure of that..." she whispered, abashed.

"Trust me, I know you'll be fine."

Why did he sound so sure of himself ? He might be four years older than her, he wasn't for all that Wisdom incarnate... But hey, he was the first person trying to cheer her up.

She knew that everyone had their own problems, but that didn't mean they could automatically come to her to speak about it before asking her first how she was doing. Just because they hadn't been dating for real, they all figured that their break-up was doing her good.

Well, they were wrong; it was not all good. Nathan was fine thanks to Haley, but things were different for Brooke. The only person she was into, and way too much too, was completely out of her reach for so many reasons.

"Why are you looking at me like that ?" Lucas asked her, his head tilted on the right.

She broke out of her reverie and shook her head, "No, it's nothing."

Lucas got up and took two steps back, then held out a hand to her. Brooke looked down at his arm, then back at him again, confused as to what he was doing. "Would you like to dance ?"

Dance ?

With his free arm, he reached the radio and turned up the volume. Paying attention to the music that was filling the room, the only thing that came to her mind was : "It's a little depressing to dance on."

"It's Nick Cave !" he cried with a small laugh. "Depressing or not, I can make you dance on this."

"I doubt that..." she murmured.

She had already read the next line on her book when she felt his hand grasp her right wrist; a second later, she was standing up and he was making her spin.

"Lucas, I..."

He shook his head, signalling her that he couldn't care less about her protest, and took her to the centre of the room.

When she realised she had no real choice, she let him lead her. A wide grin plastered on his lips, Lucas joined their hands and started moving in a way no teacher should in front of a student.

Stoic at first, Brooke eventually relaxed and allowed herself to be led by his rhythm, amused to see how bad of a dancer he was. And she had to admit that she liked the fact that he wasn't letting go of her hands.

He made her spin several times, and with a quick movement, pulled her towards him and put an arm around her waist, his smile dazzling her.

"See," he said, satisfied to hear her laugh, "you're already better."

Brooke furiously blushed, all of a sudden aware of their closeness. Her eyes unwillingly moved to his lips and seemed to be locked on them, despite all her good will.

Fortunately, the background music changed, and Lucas slowed down. He stared at her for a few seconds and leaned towards her, planting a soft kiss on her forehead.

"I'd better get you home, your dad's probably waiting for you," he told her in a single breath.

 **Lucas Scott**

His hands grasped the steering wheel with more strength, pointing out his inner tension.

Dang ! He had been this close to kiss her; it was like those past days spent avoiding her had only intensified his feelings for her. Which was the exact opposite of what he had wanted.

He anxiously noticed, through a quick glance, that Brooke, who was sitting next to him in his car, looked troubled too. Hopefully, it was only due to her break-up with Nathan.

He still didn't know if those two had really been dating; but it didn't matter anymore. It seemed pretty obvious that Brooke cared deeply for his brother, love or not. He simply hoped he had managed to make her forget about her worries for at least a minute.

"How did your mother react when you told her for Boston ?" he asked her, trying to break their silence.

She turned to him, a little startled. "Right, I didn't tell you... We've been speaking a bit lately."

"Really ?"

"Yeah, and... Turns out all she wanted from the start was to know what I wanted to do. It's a little complicated but that was basically what she wanted."

"So things are getting better with her ?"

"Yup." Well, that was a start. "She even took holidays for several days," she added. "And now she comes home every weekend. It's a little awkward," she said with a chuckle, "but I'm getting used to it." She stopped when she saw that he was pulling over in front of her house. "Thanks for the ride," she said with a smile, before adding with hesitation, "and for cheering me up."

Brooke was bout to open the door, but changed her mind and turned back to him, "Can we meet tomorrow ?"

Lucas had wished she wouldn't ask him that. She looked like she was really counting on his presence... And her poor form was pushing him to keep an eye on her, but... "No," he said, genuinely sorry, "I... I have to finish my book."

He seriously had to find a new excuse if he wanted her to believe him. But he wasn't really lying either, since he had to find an alternative to Philae's character, so that she wouldn't be the spitting image of Brooke anymore. But it had turned out to be a much more complicated task than he had thought.

Brooke tried to hide her obvious disappointment, and with a slight shrug, said : "It's alright, your work comes first. See you at school."

 **Nathan Scott**

Instead of going home right after his training that had already been extended of twenty minutes, Nathan decided on his way to make a little detour, after thinking of a mission he had promised himself to carry out.

Peyton opened her door shortly after he had rung her doorbell. She was, as expected, stupefied to see him standing on her porch.

"Brooke's not here," she said in a harsh tone.

Good, he thought. "I'm here to see you."

"Me ?" she asked with a frown. "I don't have anything to say to you."

Nathan had also expected her reaction, conscious that Peyton would be on Brooke's side. "Please, it won't take long."

Peyton seemed to weigh up the pros and cons, and after a sigh, eventually came out on her porch. She went to sit on the bench under her window, and Nathan quickly mimicked her. "Do you want to talk about Brooke ?"

"She told you everything, didn't she ?" he answered with a lopsided smile.

"Honestly," she said reproachfully, "couldn't you tell her about Haley ?"

"No," he said with a sigh that apparently annoyed Peyton, "I couldn't. How is she ?"

Peyton furrowed her brow and shrugged with a stern look, "Not great, but she doesn't want to talk about it for now." she told him with a death stare. "It all went a little too fast, I think. First you kiss her out of the blue, then you sulk and start avoiding her, you break up and it turns out that you've been into Haley for a while... Oh, and that's without counting Lucas."

"No need to."

"You're such a child sometimes," she said, rolling her eyes.

Nathan sighed, shaking his head, "I didn't come here to talk about this."

"Then why are you here ?" she asked him, confused.

"Julian."

Peyton immediately jumped on her feet, ready to cloister herself. "Oh, come on," he said, quickly catching her forearm before she could leave, "sit down, he's not here."

"What do you have to say on him ?" she asked hurriedly. "No, you know what, I don't care and I don't want to know."

"It's not his fault."

"Ha !" she exclaimed with irony. "Don't tell me you threatened to murder his family if he didn't tell you the truth?"

"No, I didn't, but... Look, I really insisted, and he didn't want to say anything at first. He just slipped up, he didn't know I didn't know that Brooke and you-know-who secretly met."

"And it's my fault ?!" she cried, crossing her arms.

"Kind of, yeah."

She loudly exhaled, ready to explode. "Nathan, if you're here to..."

"What, can you really say that I'm wrong ?" he cut her off. "You talked in front of him, sure, but did you specifically tell him that I didn't know ?"

She frowned, and gave it a thought. "No," she eventually murmured, "but he should have got it."

"He's not a seer."

Peyton slightly moved, her gaze lost in front of her. "Maybe," she mumbled with difficulty.

"If there's someone you should blame, it's me."

"Still. He shouldn't have talked." she stubbornly said.

"Can't you at least listen to him, if he told you what happened..."

"I'm not wasting my time with him," she murmured, shaking her head.

"Come on, he'll be with us this weekend."

She looked at him, startled. "He what ?"

"Yeah, Coach asked him to... Or maybe it was Mouth ?"

Puzzled at first, she quickly seemed to remember something, "No... It's Brooke who told him to come, and then she shared her idea with Mouth."

"He's gonna record the final so that we can each have a copy in our yearbook. That way if we lose, everyone will remember."

"That's all I needed..." she mumbled bitterly, her head lowered.

"You can't avoid him in Charlotte."

"Try me. I won't even see him in the bus, I'm going with my car."

Nathan raised his eyebrows, "You're not taking the bus with us ? Does Whitey know ?"

"If you read the rules, it's not written anywhere that we have to use the same means of transportation," she said with a shrug. "And I'm not in the mood to deal with Coach's old music for three hours."

If she was driving there... Then she could take someone with her. It was probably too much to ask, but... "Do you have room for one more person ?" he ventured to ask.

Peyton turned to him, intrigued. "Don't you think you're going too far ?" she asked curtly. "Think about Brooke, if you came with us.."

"No," he immediately corrected, "I'm not asking for me."

She promptly calmed down, but didn't seem to understand what he meant. "For who, then ?"

 **Brooke Davis**

When she looked at her watch, Brooke realised that their break was almost over. "I don't wanna go to class," she moaned.

"Because it's Lucas ?" Peyton asked her, her head buried in her locker.

After making sure that no one was listening, Brooke told her what had happened the night before at the Café.

"He doesn't really act like a teacher around you, you know." Peyton commented once she was over. "Maybe", she said with a shrug, "but as a friend, he didn't do anything shocking. And of course, he can't come tonight either..." she said with a snort, as a desperate attempt to hide her dismay.

Peyton was not fooled, as she put an arm around her shoulders and tried to reassure her, "Don't worry, he's gonna finish writing his book one day !"

"I bet you he'll still be at it at Christmas..." she murmured bitterly. "And anyway, as soon as he's done with it, he'll fly to New York to work with his smoking hot editor... And then he'll probably date her and they'll get married and have beautiful children with..."

"Hey !" Peyton cried, ruffling her hair. "Since when are you so negative, huh ?! Where's your fighting spirit, Davis ?"

"I know..." she said thoughtfully. She was right. She was usually tenacious when facing a problem, but in Lucas' case, she had right away decided that it was a lost cause; and she was right to think so, but...

"Shit," Peyton breathed out, suddenly uncomfortable.

Alerted, Brooke looked up at her friend."What ?"

Peyton didn't say a word, forcing her to follow her eyes in order to understand what was hypnotizing her.

A few feet away from them, Haley was picking books from her locker with Nathan leaning on the neighbouring one.

They weren't the only one looking at them; everybody, or almost everybody had apparently noticed them and most of them didn't mind staring at them. They all then slowly turned to Brooke, as if they were expecting some reaction from her. The only thing she wanted to do right now was to tell them all to go to hell.

Haley closed her locker and turned to Nathan, a wide smile spreading on her lips. He didn't seem to share her happiness though, and with a vague head movement, motioned to the crowd looking at them. Her smile faded away just as she lowered her head, looking embarrassed.

"Oh, crap..." Brooke sighed, wondering if she hadn't been too hard on her the night before.

She quickly changed her mind though, when she watched Haley raise her head, and crash her mouth onto Nathan's, taking them all by surprise. The same people who weren't willing to give them any privacy just seconds ago suddenly changed attitude and awkwardly went on with their lives. Haley, though with a red face, took Nathan's hand and walked to the end of the hallway, holding her head up in pride.

Brooke hardly managed to contain her laughter, while Peyton seemed completely lost as to what had just happened.

"I really like this girl," Brooke said with a shrug.

"Speaking of... Nathan asked a favour."

"Which one ?" she asked, her light tone gone.

"He asked me if I could take Haley with me – us, to Charlotte." Brooke raised her eyebrows, having not expected such a request from him. "He said if it bothered you even a bit, you..."

"No," she said, shaking her head, "it doesn't bother me. I like her, but... Does he even realise the situation ? I know we weren't really together, but..."

"I know," Peyton sighed, "that's why I wanted to ask you first. I was gonna say no anyway..."

"Don't !" she exclaimed, making her jump. "Tell him we'll bring her, she shouldn't miss this just because of our stupid fight."

"Are you sure ?" Peyton asked, probably wondering if she really meant that.

"Yeah."

She still couldn't help thinking that once again, instead of coming to see her directly, Nathan had used a mediator and had chickened out. So he was that decided to ignore her ?

She didn't let his attitude demoralize her and went on with her day, paying more or less attention to her teachers.

Once again, she was worn out when she came home. Closing the front door, she laid down on the couch, stretching out her legs on her father's knee who was sitting at the other end.

"Hey dad," she mumbled, her head leaning backwards with her eyes closed.

"I assume you're still not in a great shape." he remarked with worry in his voice.

"Yeah," she sighed before sitting back. "I guess I should tell you now... Nathan and I broke up."

Ted, who was until now reading his newspaper, immediately turned to her, his eyes widening in shock. "Really ?"

"Really."

"Maybe you'll work things out..."

"No dad, it's over." she said categorically. "We had no reason to be together anyway..."

"Huh ?"

"It's just that..." she said, realizing her father didn't need to know more about this. "We should have ended things a long time ago."

"Maybe he'll come back ?" he said on a reassuring tone.

"I doubt that. He looks crazy in love with Haley."

For the second time in less than a minute, her father seemed gob smacked. "Haley... Who's gonna live with you ?"

"Yup."

Ted frowned and stayed silent for a while. "Oh... I get it now. Look, if you want to spend the night at Peyton's..."

"No dad," she said with a tender smile, "I'm fine, really. I'm just a little tired. How was your day ?"

"Oh, just the usual... Ah, I met Karen on my way home. She said she was worried to see you leave in September."

"Is she ?" she asked, half-amused. "She'll quickly find a replacement."

"She also talked about Lucas, and..." he said, hesitating. "She didn't know about your book meetings ?"

Brooke straightened her back, her brow furrowed. "Erm... Apparently, no." She thought he had told Karen from the beginning... "We just didn't want too many people to know," she added, trying to make it look less suspicious to her father.

"But she's his mother," he retorted, "he could have told her."

"Yeah, probably..." Brooke admitted quietly, laying down again.

"But she actually wasn't surprised at all. She said she was looking forward to read his new book."

Well, she wasn't the only one. "Does she know when he'll finish it ?" she asked with curiosity.

Ted gave her a weird look and frowned, probably replaying his conversation with Karen in his head. "Isn't he already done with it ?"

Brooke sat bolt upright, startled. "She said that ?"

"Yes, and he even sent it to his editor, erm... Leslie ?"

"You mean Lindsay ?"

"Right, Lindsay. I think it was two weeks ago, maybe a bit before that."

Two weeks ? "Are you sure ? A bit more than two weeks ?"

"Yeah, at least that's what Karen said. Why ?"

"No... It's nothing," she quietly murmured.

So he had been leading her on for more than two weeks... Brooke plumped down on her couch one last time.

It was about time she got some answers.

* * *

That's it for this chapter ! I really took some time to write it... I really want to thank every person who messaged me to ask me how I was doing, I'm completely fine now :) I'm already working on the next chapter, so I'll try to post it as soon as I can !

Thank you for reading and reviewing !

Coming next : Fool for love


	12. Fool for love

**FOOL FOR LOVE**

 **Peyton Sawyer**

Her eyes were fixed on the car driving in front of her, moving so slowly that she was afraid of falling asleep. And yet that car wasn't what was bothering her the most; no, it was the silence that had been surrounding her for almost half an hour now.

Looking more closely at the faces of her companions, Peyton realised that the only one who seemed bothered in this car was herself. Indeed, she still couldn't grasp how Brooke and Haley had ended up making plans of living together...

When she had learnt that Nathan and Haley were now dating, and that they had been flirting when Haley still thought he was with Brooke, she had naturally figured that Brooke would cancel this soon-to-come apartment-share. But no, her friend had decided to stick to her decision. She hadn't even seemed mad at either of them, which was really surprising. Peyton hadn't had the chance to talk about that yet, but she was definitely going to.

She glanced again at Brooke, sitting next to her at the front; she looked more tense than ever. Not because of Haley's presence, no... Because of the nearing competition.

It was indeed her last chance to win the annual cheerleading competition, something she had never managed to do. Until now, they had always come second or third, but they didn't have a choice anymore and Brooke had told her that they'd better win this time. She had done the maths already : since they were leaving Friday afternoon at 5 pm and since it took two hours to get to Charlotte, their intensive last-minute training would start at 8 pm, right after diner. Sometimes Brooke could turn into a real dictator... Peyton could get why she wanted to win so badly, though. With everything going on between Nathan who was not speaking to her anymore and Lucas who was for some reason avoiding her too, she couldn't afford, for her mental health, to lose this.

And then, she also knew that Brooke was unleashing a bit of her anger on her team since she'd discovered that Lucas had been lying to her for several weeks, when he had kept telling her that he couldn't meet her because of his book. Deep down, Peyton knew there was something odd going on... Brooke was certain that he had lied to her because he didn't want to see her, because he was annoyed with her, but she knew it wasn't just that. It couldn't be, not with the way he behaved with her.

"Where are you going next year ?" Haley asked her, pulling her from her thoughts.

Peyton glanced at the rear-view mirror and saw that she looked extremely bored. "I'm going in an art school, in L.A."

"Wow, that's great ! I heard there's an art gallery in Charlotte this weekend, maybe you'll like it."

Before she could say anything, Brooke answered, her face even sterner than before : "She can't, we have to train."

"But, erm..." Haley hesitated. "All day long ?"

"Until the final, yeah."

Haley nodded, thoughtful, and asked her, "But won't that just tire you all ? A little rest can help too."

"That makes a lot of sense," Peyton immediately added, glancing sideways at her best friend.

"Maybe..." Brooke murmured with a shrug. "But it's the best way for everyone to perfectly memorize our routine."

"Except that we've been doing that every year," she added, "and there's always a girl to get the steps wrong. You of all people should know, right ?" she asked with amusement in her voice.

Brooke blushed right away, visibly vexed. "It was our first year," she exclaimed, "and our captain sucked ! Things are different this time, I know we can do it."

"Not if we're like zombies."

She sighed, and pondered on it for a while. "Fine," she said after a few minutes, "No training tonight. And tomorrow we'll only rehearse until noon."

Brooke took out her mobile from her pocket, and furiously drummed on its screen, probably warning their teammates of their new schedule. Peyton looked at Haley through the mirror again and winked at her, silently thanking her for her intervention, even if she hadn't planned it.

 **Brooke Davis**

Once they had all gathered in the hotel main lobby, most students were looking around them in awe. Brooke had already come here three times, so there was no need for her to make a fuss.

"Everyone stay put !" Coach shouted at them before running around them to stand in front of the small crowd. He shouted even louder, ignoring the few clients around them : "For God's sake will you all be quiet for once ?!"

Brooke and half of the students did their best to hold back a laugh, noticing that even the hotel staff looked frightened by the Coach.

Whitey waved a little basket above his head, and Brooke already knew what he was about to say.

"The room keys are all in here, and I want no boy-girl combinations ! And believe me," he said, eyeing them all with a suspicious look, "I'll know if there are ! Girls are on the fourth floor with me, and boys will be on the fifth with Mr Scott."

He then told them that the room arrangements had already been decided, disappointing most of them; except for Brooke and Peyton, who exchanged a look full of mischief. The same thing happened every year : the Coach stated loud and clear that everyone would stick to their room, and five minutes after he was done talking, they were all busy exchanging keys. It was exactly what happened this year too, after he had called out each duo and handed out their keys.

And so, a few minutes later, Brooke and Peyton were staying in the same room, while Haley was with Rachel, the only other cheerleader she knew, since Mouth was her childhood friend.

The four of them, accompanied by Mouth, went to the lift to drop their luggages in their own rooms.

"I'll stop at the fifth," he told them, pushing the call button, "I'm with Nathan."

"Good for you," Rachel said with a smile addressed to Haley.

Coincidence ? Mmh, no, Brooke didn't think so. Nathan had probably done whatever he could to get in Mouth's room as soon as he had heard that Rachel and Haley were paired up. That way, when Rachel and Mouth would meet up at night...

"Shit, I forgot something," Brooke told them right when the lift door opened. "Can you take my bag up, I have to do something first ?"

She didn't pay attention to the lost gazes of her friends and turned around in direction of the hall, hoping he was still there. And he was, standing right next to the Coach, a hint of a smile on his lips even if he looked like he couldn't wait to get in his room.

Brooke walked up to them and cleared her throat when she arrived right behind them.

"What's wrong, Davis ?" the Coach asked her, turning to her.

"Actually," she said as innocently as she could, "I'd like to talk to Luc– Mr Scott."

"Ah, I'll leave you two then," he said, walking toward the lift. "And good luck for tomorrow, Davis !"

She tried to smile without showing her stress, and watched him get away from them.

"Thanks !" Lucas whispered to her ear. Brooke slightly jumped, having not expected him to be so close to her, and when she turned around she saw that he was indeed standing right next to her. "You just saved me," he said with an amused grin. "He was just about to tell me his story of when he caught some students sneaking out of their rooms at night..."

She hadn't had the chance to see him in days, since he had brilliantly avoided her. Here and now, though, he had no escape way. "Did you take your laptop with you ?" she asked, waving at his bag.

Lucas didn't seem to know why she was asking this all of a sudden, but answered nonetheless, "No... Why ?"

"Well that's where you write, right ?" she asked, feigning surprise. "How are you gonna write without your computer ?"

That's when he realised his mistake; for a short moment, he looked taken aback, his eyes widening, but quickly regained his composure. "Erm yeah, I... I'll..." he stuttered. "I don't know how I could forget it. I'll just write on paper until I get home."

"It's too bad though," she said, her arms crossed.

"Yeah, I know..." he said, running his hand in his hair, his eyes suddenly shifty.

"So, where are you exactly in your book ?"

"I... I finished the first half."

"But that was a long time ago, wasn't it ?"

"A long time ago ?" he repeated, confused. Finally, he was starting to realise that something was off.

"I don't know," she said with a shrug, " it's just that according to what my dad said..."

"Your father ?" he said, looking more and more lost.

"Yeah, he saw your mother just the other day. They talked a bit, and..."

"What did she tell him ?" he asked her, anxiety filling his voice.

"Oh, not much," she said, scrutinizing him. "Why, what did she have to tell him ?"

Honestly, she couldn't make it easier for him. If even now he couldn't tell her the truth... He started playing with his hands nervously, and Brooke even thought she saw him gulped before saying, "Nope, nothing special."

So he was really not willing to confess that he had lied to her, huh ? She had given him a chance to... Too bad for him. She turned around, and strode to the lift. "Where are you going ?" she heard him ask behind her, sounding unsettled.

He quickly walked next to her. "I've got nothing left to tell you," she mumbled with a snort.

She could hear his footsteps next to hers, but she refused to look at him, unwilling to give him any attention.

If he could lie to her face like that, she couldn't see why she should take her time to explain her foul mood to him.

Brooke called the lift, inwardly praying that it wouldn't take long to come, and saw with a stealthy glance that Lucas was right next to her, turned to her and staring at her as if she had gone mad.

"Why are you so pissed ?" he asked her in a soft voice, probably trying not to push her buttons anymore than he had already had.

She stubbornly looked at the doors in front of her, and nothing else.

"Brooke ?"

She didn't move an inch, determined to make him understand that she was not happy with him.

"Will you say something ?" he asked her, a bit annoyed.

She frowned and turned to him, "Why don't you go back to your book ?" she snapped at him, her eyes narrowed.

He raised his eyebrows, seemed to give it a thought, and then... His eyes opened wide, and it finally dawned on him.

Right at that moment, the lift door opened with a ring; she promptly got in. Lucas didn't get in, probably because he had left his bag behind him, but put a foot next to the door to make sure it wouldn't close.

"Since when do you know ?" he asked her in a murmur, his eyes riveted on the tiled-floor.

"Tuesday night," she replied in a cold tone, wondering what difference it could make. He looked up at her again, and Brooke could see how sorry he was... But couldn't care less. "If you didn't want to see me, if I was such a bother to you, you should have just said so instead of lying to me." she curtly said, drifting her eyes to the side.

"Wha – No, Brooke, you're wron..."

He stopped midway when he heard his phone ring. His hand that was so far holding back the lift door plunged into his pocket, and after reading the name of the one calling him, he gave her a begging look.

"I need to take this, can you wait just a minute ?"

Brooke raised an eyebrow, exasperated. "Are you kidding me ?" she retorted with a snort, before pushing on the button closing the door.

 **Lucas Scott**

"It better be important," he breathed out in his phone.

"Is that how you talk to your boss ?"

Lucas sighed, his eyes fixed on the elevator that he could hear going upstairs, and walked away from it to get his bag. "Linds, please, now's really not the time..."

"Fine," she said, cut to the quick. "I just wanted to tell you that I've read your book but if you want, I can call you when you're in a better mood. Do you have a specific time ?"

"You have ?" he asked, all trace of annoyance vanished.

"Yeah, I have." she said on a more joyous tone. "And I'm warning you now, we're gonna have a lot of work to do on this one." She didn't have to tell him that, he already knew the real work was only starting. "By the way," she added, "have you done something about Philae ?"

"I tried to change her, but..."

"But what ?" she asked him when he didn't finish his sentence.

He sighed, running a hand in his hair. "I just don't know how to."

He heard her sigh and get up from her chair, then pace around her office before quickly sitting back to light up a cigarette. "Then make her blonde."

"But she's not..."

"Say she's six foot tall. Or maybe rounder. She can work in a store instead of a café." He had already thought of this, of course... But it just didn't fit. At every change he wanted to make, his face stiffened, and his hands stopped writing right away. "Can't you just leave her like that ?" Lindsay eventually said. "I like her the way she is."

"Yeah well, so do I, that's the problem here." he mumbled, shaking his head.

"Maybe you can't change her because you don't want to."

Lindsay, the voice of reason; he had come to the same conclusion after numerous tries.

But if he left his character as it was, Brooke would understand for sure... Shit.

Lucas slumped down on the nearest armchair, resting his head in his hands.

He no longer had a choice. He had done his best to postpone this moment, but he couldn't do it anymore. She knew he had lied to her, and if he didn't try to make amends now, then she would never trust him again... That meant farewell to any hope of being with her.

But did he really want to hope for that ? What about Nathan, how was he going to deal with him ?

Nathan who wasn't dating Brooke anymore and seemed madly in love with his new girlfriend, more than he had ever shown to be with Brooke.

"Linds ? Can you send me a copy of the manuscript by email ?" There had to be a computer and a printer somewhere in this hotel. He would need paper too. Lots of it.

"Sure, but why ?" she asked, her tone cautious. "Don't tell me you're giving it to her ?"

"I am. I know what you're thinking, but don't worry, she'll be the only one to read it, I swear. You know this is important to me... She's important to me. And if I have to make her read my book so that she can get why I've been avoiding her, then be it."

"Why don't you just tell her ?"

"She won't listen, she knows I've been lying to her."

"Alright, fine. But you better make sure that no one else reads it."

 **Nathan Scott**

Laying down on his bed, that he had won for the night at a good-old rock-paper-scissors battle against Mouth, Nathan closed his eyes, trying to forget about the knot that had invaded his stomach since they had left Tree Hill. The same knot that had prevented him from eating anything at dinner.

He still couldn't believe that his final was here, within reach... In two days.

His eyes popped open when he heard a knock on his door. He turned his head, and saw Haley appear in the doorway, asking him if she could come in.

"Sure," he said, sitting back.

Mouth's head popped through the bathroom door, a toothbrush full of paste in his mouth. He said something that didn't seem to make any sense and didn't even sound English, then closed the door, leaving Nathan and Haley confused, before laughing together.

"I think he said he'd leave after he's done brushing his teeth," Haley murmured, her brow slightly furrowed.

She was right; barely seconds after that, Mouth left their bedroom. When he closed the door behind him, Nathan asked her if something was wrong.

"Oh, I'm fine," she said with a slight smile, before walking up to him. She took his hand and sat down near him, on the edge of the bed. "Are _you_ okay ?"

"Yeah," he said with a shrug.

"Mmh, I don't entirely believe you", she said, half-amused, half-concerned.

Nathan managed to smile back at her, while the knot in his stomach seemed to loosen up a bit. "You're right not to believe me."

Haley frowned, and seemed to hesitate to tell him : "Don't worry. Give it your all, and you'll be fine."

"That's what I plan to do but... I don't know if that'll be enough," he admitted, lowering his head.

"And what if it's not, why would that be so bad ?"

"My father..."

He stopped right away, feeling stupid to think that way. If he were to lose, the first person to react would be his father... But after everything that had happened, why did he still give so much importance to what that man could think ?

"You're not playing for Dan, but for you and your team."

"I know that, but..."

"Can I..." she cut him off, still hesitating. "Can I know the rest ?"

He looked up at her, confused. "The rest of what ?"

"You know, what you told me last Sunday, at your place."

He had indeed forgotten that since then, they hadn't talked about it. Nathan carefully watched her and, noticing how concerned she looked, couldn't see why he would not tell her everything. "Where did I stop ?"

"When your brother published his first book," she said, crossing her legs on the bed.

"Ah, right," he said, mimicking her. "Erm, yes, so... He published his book, and everyone in Tree Hill heard of it. That's when it all started again. According to Dan, if Lucas could become that famous by writing a pathetic book, then I could do much better than that."

Haley furrowed her brow, annoyance showing on her face. "He went back to his intensive training ?"

"Yeah. He kept treating me like a kid even if I was in high school, said I would never mature and..."

He stopped, apprehensive. Haley may not react very well... "What happened ?" she asked quietly.

"When I started high school, I used to fool around with a lot of girls... And when Dan told me that I wasn't even mature enough to have a steady relationship, I figured... That maybe he would let me breathe if I had one."

Haley's eyes opened wide; he knew he didn't need to give her more details, she had done the maths herself.

Back then, it had seemed so obvious... If he had a girlfriend, then his father would let him off the hook. But he hadn't been interested in anyone at that time, and he didn't want to just date anyone. And one day, he had walked on Brooke who seemed to have troubles with some guys. That's when it came to his mind. It was the perfect solution for both of them.

"Does she know ?" Haley asked, her face torn between surprise and trouble.

"No," he said, lowering his head in shame. "I know I should have told her, but at first I didn't see why I had to. I barely knew her when I first talked to her. And then I kind of forgot why I even had that idea," he said, stealthily glancing at her, "but I will tell her. I will."

Nathan knew that Brooke wouldn't be mad at him for the reason why he had started their pact, but rather for hiding it from her all this time. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, except when he had first met her, but he had simply not considered that it was important to tell her. And telling her about this meant telling her about Dan, which he had never thought he could do someday... Until he'd met Haley.

"I know I'm weird." he murmured hesitantly.

"Definitely," she said with a sigh before smiling. "But at least, from the way your father treated me, I know for sure that you're not going out with me to please him."

 **Brooke Davis**

"Did you forget something ?"

Peyton, who had so far been crouching on the ground, her head half sunk in her bag, looked up at Brooke for just a second, "No, I didn't, it's gotta be there somewhere..." Her head disappeared in her bag again and a few seconds later, she stopped fidgeting and sat back on the floor, a deep crease forming inbetween her eyebrows. "I'll find it tomorrow."

Brooke got up from the bed on which she had been reading her book and wondered why her best friend was this nervous. "You've seen Julian, haven't you ?"

"How am I supposed to miss him ?!" she exclaimed, getting to her feet. "He's walking around everywhere with his freaking camera."

"Oh, stop complaining," she retorted with a grin, "I'm sure that when our faces are full of wrinkles and our saggy boobs reach our knees, it'll be fun to see how hot we used to be."

"Yeah, well... We don't need him," she said, sitting next to her on the bed, "I could use that camera !"

"Even when you're back-flipping ?" she asked with a chuckle.

"Mouth could do it."

"Coach made the call..." she said, shrugging with her hands.

Well, maybe she had helped too... After Julian had come to talk to her, earlier this week, she had gone to see Whitey to make sure that he was still okay with Julian coming with them to Charlotte. If there was a chance of those two making up, she had to give it a try.

"I'm done talking about him", Peyton said, shaking her head. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you, though... About Haley and..."

"And how I'm not mad at her or Nathan ?"

She knew Peyton had been wondering about this for a few days and was waiting for her to get to that subject on her own.

"Yeah. You know she kissed him even if she thought you had been dating him for more than two years ! And when you invite her to move in with you, she agrees to it without any second thoughts !"

"I wouldn't say that she didn't..."

"I don't get it, why aren't you more pissed ?"

"I'm not pissed at them because they fell in love, why would I be ? But I'm... disappointed." she admitted with a shrug. "I'm disappointed at her for what she did, and at him for not saying a word about Haley. I'm disappointed because Nathan's been a total hypocrite with the whole Lucas thing. And because lately it really looks like he's never cared for me at all, that it was all just a game for him."

Peyton put a hand on her shoulder, "Brooke, you need to tell them all this..."

"Why ? What good would it make ? It would only make things even more complicated, and I don't want that, not with Lucas lying to me and Nathan not talking to me... I don't need things to be awkward with Haley."

"They will be if you keep that to yourself." she said with a frown. "You're gonna live with her, you're gonna see her everyday."

"I know that..." she sighed. "But what if things go wrong ?"

"Then they just will," Peyton said with a shrug.

"Fine, you know what ? I'll talk to them if you talk to Julian." Brooke said with a smirk.

"It's not happening Davis," she said with a chuckle. "But how about talking to Lucas instead, huh ? He didn't get to tell you why he lied to you, maybe there's a good reason why he did that..."

Brooke furrowed her brow, and took back her book, opening it where she had left it. Peyton swiftly took it from her hands, making her stare at her in dismay. "I'm not talking to him."

"And why not ? You don't want to know why..."

"I already know why !" she cried, her eyes drifting from her friend's confused gaze. "I _think_ I know why." she corrected on her own. "I think he noticed my feelings and didn't know how to deal with that, so he figured it was better to put some distance between us."

"I am ninety-nine percent sure that you're wrong," she said with a slight smile.

"How ? You weren't there in the library !"

"But I'm here in class, remember ? I'm the girl who sits right next to you." she retorted with a grin. "And when he looks at you, Brooke, he doesn't look like some guy who's scared by a girl's feelings. Actually," she said with a frown, thoughtful, "it's more like he..."

Both girls jumped at the same time when they heard three knocks. They looked at each other, wondering who it could be this late, and Peyton rolled her eyes, probably thinking it was Julian.

"You're gonna have to talk to him some day !" Brooke said with a laugh, walking toward the door.

"If it really is him, please shut the door in his face."

She shook her head and opened the door; her smile melted in less than two seconds, as soon as she recognised Lucas, who looked strangely out of breath.

"I've been looking everywhere for you..."

Brooke furrowed her brow, and with a quick hand gesture slammed the door; to her surprise, it stopped after a few inches only. She looked down and saw that Lucas had inserted his foot in the doorway, making it impossible to close it without crushing his foot.

"I just want to give you something."

Give her what ?

She finally noticed the huge stack of sheets he was holding in his hands and holding out to her. Brooke opened the door, eyeing him with defiance.

"What's that ?"

"My book."

Her first reaction was surprise, so well that she completely let go of the door and instinctively stepped forward to take it from his hands.

Then, despite her enthusiasm, a voice at the back of her head asked her why he would want to give that to her when he was supposed to keep it secret. She had asked him several times to keep a copy for her, but since he had lied to her multiple times, why would he...

Oh, to hell with that, she was done trying to analyse his behaviour ! And she was still mad at him !

"Read it," he said, sounding very serious.

"Huh ?" was all that came to her mind. "But I thought you couldn't..."

"It's a first draft and it's not supposed to be shared, but Lindsay knows I'm giving it to you. I really need you to read this, then you'll understand."

She looked at the pile of paper again, then told him with a raised eyebrow : "But I can't, it would take me hours..."

"The first quarter will be enough, I swear... I think you'll get it even sooner than that."

"But I... I don't see why I should do that," she said on a firm tone.

He let out a long sigh, looking somehow exhausted. "I can't tell you...", he said with begging eyes. "Look, I'm giving you this, just do whatever you want with it."

He dropped the pile in her hands, taking her aback, and left at full speed before she could say anything.

Confused, she watched him walk away then closed the door and turned to Peyton. Her friend was standing up and was looking at her hands with curiosity.

"Can he give you his book ?" she asked, intrigued.

"He's not supposed to, no..." she murmured, walking to the bed. "What should I do ?"

"You can read it," Peyton said on an encouraging tone.

"Yeah, but right now, I'm not in the mood to do him a favour," she said, placing the book between them, "not after..."

"He sounded like it's very important," she reminded her. "That means it is, right ?"

"I don't know..." Brooke said with a sigh, hesitant.

He hadn't given her any explanation, instead of that he was asking her to read his book as if his life depended on it...

Her eyes stopped on the first page, and she finally noticed the title.

Altair & Vega.

It was the title she had suggested weeks ago... So he had picked it ?

Brooke held back a smile and turned the first page; it wouldn't hurt to read the first chapter.

 **Lucas Scott**

His clock was soon striking two in the morning, and he still couldn't get to sleep. He couldn't close his eyes without thinking of Brooke, wondering if she had at least read the first pages of his novel. If she had, then he would have already heard from her... But nothing, no word from her.

He sighed and sat back on his bed. It wasn't really surprising; he had gone to her room to give his book to her, without great conviction that she would read it. But with a little time, maybe she'd give in ?

Sure, Lucas could very well tell her directly and in person why he had been avoiding her lately. But first of all, it was quite an embarrassing thing to say, and second of all... He had himself only realised what was going on thanks to his book, so maybe the best way for her to understand it too was in those pages.

He gulped, imagining for the hundredth time what would be her reaction once she finds out that he had taken all his inspiration from her to write his main character. She'd think he's insane, for sure. What was scaring him the most was to see her sickened by him. And he could bet that once he'd tell her that he hadn't even done it on purpose, she'd call him a liar again.

However, he had weighed the pros and cons, and come to the conclusion that he didn't have any other solution. Lindsay was right, if he couldn't change the character of Philae, it was simply because he absolutely didn't want to. He loved that character, there was no point to transform it into something else. And since he was not about to change his mind... Then Brooke might as well be the first to read it, it was her reaction that he was fearing the most.

When he realised that he wasn't getting to sleep anytime soon, he got up and decided to look around the hotel bar. He got out of the lift downstairs, and was about to take a corridor on his right but stopped in his tracks when he saw a silhouette sitting crossed-legs on one of the couches filling the main hall.

"Brooke ?" he murmured, a little dazed.

He walked to her, for a second thinking that he had actually fallen asleep and was just dreaming, but quickly realised with each step he was taking towards her that it was really Brooke sitting there, her head lowered to the manuscript he had given her a few hours ago and that was now resting on her lap. What was she doing with that now ?

"Shouldn't you be in your room, sleeping ?" he asked, standing in front of her.

She jumped in fright, her head shooting up at him with a scared expression, like she had been caught red-handed. As soon as she recognized him she relaxed, and Lucas understood that she had taken him for the Coach.

"I just finished the first half," she said with a tired grin, "I only came down because Peyton couldn't sleep with the lights on."

"Half ?" he repeated, his eyes growing wide as he was sitting next to her. "But how... Why did you read that far ? You could have..."

"I know," she cut him off with a vague wave. "I just wanted to read the first chapter, but... I couldn't stop."

"Oh," he said in a strangely hoarse voice. He was relieved to see that she liked his book, but what did she think of Philae ? "So ?"

"I love it," she breathed out, her eyes drifting to the pages in her hands. "So far, it's a great book Lucas. But that ending to the second part, though, it's awful that they should separate to.."

"No," he interrupted her, trying to forget about his sweaty hands. "No Brooke, do you get it now ?"

Brooke finally looked up at him, and he saw with much relief that there was no disgust nor anger in them. In fact she looked pretty amused. "Ah, that," she said with a lopsided smile, "I almost forgot. You know, you didn't have to avoid me for that, I don't mind."

"You... You don't mind ?" he repeated, enunciating every syllable.

"I don't. I mean, it's kind of weird and a little awkward, but it's okay if the girl looks like me. I wish you had asked me first, but it's alright," she added with a frown. "I really don't mind," she said when he still didn't look convinced, "you should had told me sooner if you were that scared of my reaction."

And now she looked touched. Lucas dropped his head on his right hand, his elbow resting on the sofa, his head suddenly starting to ache. "Brooke, do you get why she looks so much like you ?"

"Well..." she said, as if it was obvious, "because you took me as a model. Right ?"

"I..."

"Look", she said with a tired voice, "I'm exhausted and if I want to be at my best tomorrow, I need to go to sleep now. Good night, I'll tell you when I'm done."

"But I..." he started saying, straightening his back. Too late, she was already dragging her feet to the elevator.

Lucas let out a long sigh, got up and went as planned to the bar. After ordering a drink, he slumped down on a chair, at a secluded table, and thought about what Brooke had just told him.

So in the end, she didn't get it, not entirely at least. Which was supposed to be a good thing, right ? She knew she had inspired him so she wasn't pissed at him anymore, and she didn't know about his feelings. It was the best-case scenario.

But then was he so disappointed ?

 **Peyton Sawyer**

Two hours left before training. Peyton checked again that Brooke was sleeping like a log, since she had apparently come back only late at night, and kept looking into her bag to find that damned USB key. The very same key that contained the music they were going to dance on this afternoon, and that she had apparently lost. Where the hell could it be...

If she didn't find it, and fast, Brooke was going to kill her.

Peyton didn't waste time and went down to the buffet to get a quick breakfast before anyone else would be up. Thus, when all her comrades would get down to eat, including Brooke, she knew no one would bother her while she was hunting high and low for that key.

Lying on her stomach, she was looking under the bed, hoping the key would be there. When she heard a knock, she didn't even bother to get up from the floor and simply yelled at whoever it was who wasn't busy getting their breakfast to get in. She heard the door open, followed by footsteps, and finally a voice said : "Is this a new yoga position ?"

She would have recognised this half-amused, half-shy voice anywhere, and didn't even need to look back to know that Julian was standing behind her. Her own little stalker.

She froze an instant, but quickly regained composure, and retorted with an icy voice : "I have nothing to say to you."

Seeing that there was nothing to find under the bed, she rolled on the side and got up, facing Julian who was awkwardly standing a few feet from her. "I just wanted..."

"Now is a bad time," she said curtly, walking to the chest of drawers. Maybe it was in one of those...

"What are you looking for ?" he asked with interest. "Maybe I can help ?"

Peyton shut the drawer so hard, that for a moment there she thought she had broken it, and turned around to shoot him a death stare. "Don't you think you've done enough already ?"

"I never wanted to do any wrong..." he murmured with an apologetic look.

"Well you did anyway." she said in a harsh tone. "You should have thought twice before chatting with Nathan."

Julian furrowed his brow, and Peyton believed that was a first sign of annoyance. "Fine," he said, crossing his arms. "Can you tell me one thing that's been wrong with Brooke since I've told all this stuff to Nathan ?"

"Seriously ? How about Nathan and her not talking anymore !"

"You know that's not entirely my fault. All I said to Nathan, was that his brother and Brooke met at night, but I never told him she loved him !"

"Thank God you didn't !" she exclaimed, rolling her eyes.

"But that's why they're not talking, isn't it ?" he said, an eyebrow raised.

Peyton wanted to tell him he was wrong, but... She knew, with much frustration, that he was spot on. "I don't care," she stubbornly answered, "it's not a matter of good or bad consequences."

"Then what is it about ?" he asked, his eyes begging.

She looked at him for a second, wondering if it was really worth it to answer. If she did that, he would know she cared and... Oh, damn it. "I trusted you," she said with an angry look. "And now I can't do that anymore."

He raised his eyebrows, having not expected that answer from her, and even seemed relieved for a moment, which made her regret saying that. "But if you let me..." he started saying, stepping toward her.

"I told you, it's not the time," she repeated, turning to her drawers again. "I don't want to talk about it. And I lost this freaking USB and if I don't find it, Brooke will be devastated..."

In a fit of anger, she kicked the furniture and immediately regretted that, a dull pain appearing in her right foot, forcing her to hold back a cry.

A second later, without hearing him approach, she felt a strong pressure on both her shoulders and when she looked up she saw that Julian was standing right in front of her, his hands preventing her from moving.

"Calm down," he told her with a firm, yet soothing voice. "Are you talking about the music of the routine ? Can't you find it on the net ?"

"I made an original mix to make sure that no one would have the same," she said, her eyes landing on the wall next to them.

To think that she had thought it was a brilliant idea at first... "And you're sure you took it with you ?"

"Of course I took it," she mumbled.

"Alright," he said with a frown, apparently thinking hard about this. "And you searched the entire room ?"

"I've literally looked in every corner here."

"Then it's not here."

"Honestly," she told him with a frustrated look, "you think I..."

"Have you checked your car ?"

Her car ?

Peyton walked back, taking him aback, and spun around to grab her bag in which her car keys were. She ran outside, too much in a hurry to take the time to thank him.

 **Brooke Davis**

It was noon, and Brooke was now at her third cup of coffee. The competition started in four hours, and she had never been this tense. Maybe caffeine was at fault, but she knew it wasn't just that.

She had been coming to this championship for three years, and had lost every time. But this year, she was captain and she had an opportunity to make a difference. That would only be possible, of course, if she didn't fall asleep in the middle of their routine.

However that didn't mean she regretted staying awake so late to read Lucas' novel; it had definitely been worth it. It was... enthralling. Very, very enthralling.

As she was reading the first chapters, she had first thought she was being completely paranoid when she noticed that the main female character, Philae, looked a little like her. And then she had realised she looked a lot like her, which couldn't be a mere coincidence; he had taken her as a model. Which was extremely flattering, but could also slightly lead to confusion, and she had deduced that it was why he had been avoiding her lately. But deep down, she didn't mind at all. Sure, reading a story about a girl who looked just like her, was a little troubling, but... She had quickly gotten used to it.

What was much more disturbing, though, was that she didn't just physically look like her; their personalities were also very much alike, to some extent. How had Lucas managed to figure her out so well, in such a short amount of time ?

"You should eat something."

Brooke looked up at an apparently worried Peyton, sitting across from her. "I know," she said quietly, "but I'm not really hungry."

"Are you thinking about the book ?" she asked, intrigued. "You still haven't told me..."

"I don't think I can tell you what it's about," she said with an apologetic smile, "but I do know why he was avoiding me."

"And ?"

"And it's nothing big," she said with a shrug. "Definitely not worth avoiding me."

"Did you tell him that ?" Peyton asked her with a mysterious lopsided grin.

"Yeah... Last night, right before I came up to the room. Why ?"

"Because he's been staring at you for ten good minutes," she whispered with a satisfied face.

She motioned her to turn around and see for herself, but Brooke preferred not to; she took her word for it. Instead, she looked down at her plate still full of food, hoping that no one would notice her suddenly rejoiced face.

"So, are you gonna do something about this ?" Peyton asked her.

Brooke didn't understand at first what she was talking about, and then got it, "Honestly, I wish I could." she admitted in a hushed voice. "I mean, now that I know he's not running away from me because he noticed my feelings... I'd like to come clean with him. Tell him the truth, because I don't think I can keep lying to him. I don't want to, even if that means he won't talk to me once he knows the truth. But..."

"Please don't say that Nathan's blocking you,"she retorted, rolling her eyes.

So she didn't say a thing; but how could she hurt him like this ? She had to at least talk to him first... But when ? "I don't want to talk about this, not now," she murmured in a firm tone. "All I want to think of right now is the routine."

"About that..." Brooke started worrying when she noticed Peyton's embarrassed look. "Earlier, I couldn't find the musi..."

"YOU WHAT ?!" she shouted at her, making all the people around her jump and turn to them.

"But I found it !" she immediately added, glancing around her with an apologetic smile. "I thought I had lost it, I've been looking everywhere since yesterday night."

Thank God she had found it ! If they really had no music, her heart would have probably stopped. "Sawyer, don't you dare scare me like that again," she murmured with a death stare that seemed to amuse her friend.

"It was in my car," she explained, before adding with hesitation, "Julian kinda helped me to find it."

Brooke's eyes brightened up, but Peyton shook her head, silently telling her that she was imagining things. "I'm not talking to him," she said nervously. "He came to apologize... again. And I tried to get rid of him, but he wanted to know what I was looking for, and..."

"Did you thank him ?"

"I stormed off when I realised it was in my car, so no..." she admitted, shameful.

"Peyton !"

"I know, I know, it's not polite. But..." she added hesitantly, "I'll talk to him after our final."

"Good," Brooke said with a smile. "And if we lose, you can tell him to erase the video !"

 **Lucas Scott**

His head resting on the side, Lucas was waiting for the elevator door to close and for it to go to the ground floor. He was a little in advance, and would have thus to wait for all the students to gather in the main hall before heading to the city gymnasium, where the cheerleading competition would take place this afternoon, and the basketball final the next day. How was Nathan feeling right now ?

The lift stopped at the fourth floor, and apparently Brooke was also in advance; she came in, her head lowered, a headset pushed on her head. She was murmuring unintelligible words, and looked completely withdrawn into herself.

"Brooke ?"

She didn't move, which wasn't surprising from the volume of the music she was listening to; he could hear it himself. He tapped on her shoulder and she glowered up at him, ready to petrify whoever it was that was breaking her concentration, then immediately softened when she recognised him, and slid her headphone around her neck.

"Sorry," she said with embarrassment, turning her music off, "I was..."

"I know, I could hear," he said, holding back a laugh. "You look a little nervous."

"I am," she sighed, leaning back next to him. "I can't wait to be done with this."

She indeed looked like she was nearly in hysterics. Lucas wished he could reassure her, but how could he do that ? "It's gonna be fine," he told her with a soft smile.

"How do you know that ?" she retorted, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't," he admitted with a wider grin. "But it's you we're talking about. Even if you don't win, which is not gonna happen, things will be fine. Trust me."

Brooke looked sceptical for a few more seconds, before slightly smiling, her shoulders seemingly relaxing. "I wish it could be that simple," she murmured with a quiet sigh. "Last time we won was six years ago, you know, Morgan..."

"Spencer," he said, remembering. "I was still dating her at that time."

"Yeah, I know that," she mumbled, her eyes drifting to her feet. She pushed a button on her left and a second later, the elevator door closed. Was it resentment he'd spotted in her voice, or was he simply day-dreaming ? "Did she have a secret ?" she suddenly asked, probably wishing for a miracle solution.

"No, I don't think so," he said with an apologetic look before adding, a lopsided smile on his lips, "I mean, apart from the fact that she was going out with me."

"You think you were her lucky charm ?" Brooke asked, raising her eyebrows.

"I'm pretty sure I was," he said on a serious tone.

Maybe she wasn't reassured, but at least he had managed to make her giggle. "Alright," she said with a bright smile. "Then why don't we go out together so that..." She immediately stopped, her cheeks turning red, and vividly shook her head. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that... Sorry."

"No !" he said, feeling a rush of blood to the head, "Brooke, you..."

She turned to the doors, embarrassment growing on her face, and when he mimicked her he realised a few seconds after her that they were already downstairs, and had been for a while now. That was all it took her to rush out of the lift and get away from him as fast as she could.

Lucas groaned, letting his frustration out, and walked out of the elevator. It was as if every time he was about to talk seriously with her, she was running away at full speed, which of course couldn't augur well for him, but...

What if she had been serious, even if just a little, in what she had just said ? It was the only explanation he could find for her immediate reaction. Unless he was again imagining things...

 **Brooke Davis**

Peyton jumped in her arms in no time; she stepped back a little, both friends swirling together under a shower of confetti, surrounded by their friends who were also jumping for joy.

She couldn't believe it... They had won ! They had actually won !

Not a single mistake. Their routine had been perfect, even better than during rehearsals ! And the jury had just given them the winner's trophy !

They both let go of each other, the same blissful smile on their lips, and spun around to face their other teammates. Brooke never knew how long they stayed on that stage, hugging and laughing and getting congratulations from the Ravens' members who had joined them after applauding them from afar for a while.

Amongst the whirlwind of voices surrounding her, she heard that it was good omen for tomorrow's final, but Brooke didn't pay much attention to that, her eyes mechanically looking for the one player she wanted to share her joy with the most.

But he was nowhere to be found, and Brooke realised that he hadn't joined them, he had stayed on the bleachers.

She quickly spotted him, and saw that he looked happy for them, no doubt about that, but he hadn't even bothered to come down. Even Whitey had come. Haley appeared right after that, taking her in her arms with a loud and cheerful laugh. But Nathan had stayed on the bleachers.

Brooke felt a slight pain in her chest, a pinch, that lasted only a second and ended when Peyton put an arm around her shoulders and improvised a celebration dance.

They stayed another ten, maybe fifteen minutes, getting their trophy and shouting to anyone who would listen that they were the best, and eventually all went to the lockers and climbed in the bus that was driving them back to the hotel. After they arrived, every girl rapidly went in Brooke and Peyton's room to celebrate again their precious victory.

Rachel had brought a bottle of champagne, just in case, and had been right to do so. Each one of them toasted to their victory, to their coming finals, to their future...

It was Bevin who first suggested they should go in a bar. They all decided to follow her lead, apart from Rachel who said she'd rather celebrate with Mouth.

"Are you coming ?" Peyton asked her as she stood up.

Brooke, who had been sitting on the floor like everyone else, hesitated a bit before answering : "No, I... I think I'll talk to Nathan first."

Peyton immediately understood, and gave her a satisfied nod.

A few minutes later, Brooke was alone in her room, the silence around her making it suddenly look ten times larger than it was.

She stretched out her legs in front of her, numbed from sitting too long. Well, now she had to take her courage in both hands. Winning this final was a true achievement, but she couldn't fully enjoy it if she couldn't share that with Nathan.

With things staying this way, and time passing by, they might reach a point where it would be impossible for them to talk, and she didn't want that. No, what she wanted was... To somehow give him her blessing for Haley. Make him understand that she was delighted to see him this happy, and that she was hoping it would last as long as possible.

Brooke got up on her feet and walked to the door with firm steps. But as she was about to open her door, she heard someone knock from the other side.

Talk about timing... They'd had the same idea ?

She opened the door, and sudden disappointment filled her as she realised it wasn't Nathan at all standing in front of her, but Lucas.

"Wow," he said with a chuckle, "I can come back later if you don't want to see me."

"No, come in !" she said, smiling back at him. "I just thought it was... No one, doesn't matter."

He followed her into her room, and turned to her after she closed the door. "Congrats !" he told her with a radiant look, before taking her in his arms.

Brooke was taken aback by his gesture, but was glad that he had come to see her, and particularly that he was hugging her. After a short moment, he broke their embrace and murmured with a wink, "Looks like I did bring you luck."

She couldn't help a laugh, and took a few steps back, watching him with a grin. "You came here just to say that ?"

Lucas immediately lost his cheerful look, and looked suddenly much more serious. Apparently, he had really come for something else... Brooke wondered if she hadn't made a mistake by letting him in. That allusion she had made in the elevator, right before the competition, had not gone unnoticed... He was most probably about to lecture her, or worse, tell her she had to stop fantasizing about him.

"I'm here to talk about the book."

"Oh," she said, suppressing a sigh. "What about it ?"

"Erm..." He stepped back and looked up, but his eyes didn't seem to look at anything, as if he was in deep thinking. "Do you... Do you really get what I was trying to tell you ? When I gave it to you ?"

"Wh..." she mumbled, wondered if it was trick question. "I get that you used me as a model."

"Correct," he said with a nod.

"And... I get that you were scared to tell me ?"

"Again, correct."

Why was he talking about this again ? She had clearly told him that she didn't mind, so why would he come back to that ? And why did he look so nervous, even more than when he had first talked to her father ?

"Brooke..." he said, hesitant. "I did get a lot of inspiration from you, but... I didn't mean to." She raised an eyebrow, confused by his words. "I mean, I didn't do it on purpose."

Now she was even more confused. "Alright..." she said, not knowing what to say. "Erm, it's kind of... weird, I guess, but fine."

"No Brooke, it's not weird at all," he said, vigorously shaking his head. "It's actually very logical."

"Lucas, I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," she told him with an apologetic smile.

He squinted, opened his mouth but closed it right away, staying silent for a moment that seemed to last an eternity to her. He put his hands in his hair and quickly ruffled it, before staring at her with with such intense eyes that she started feeling uncomfortable. It was like he was facing a dilemma, but she had no idea what it would be nor how it had anything to do with her.

"It's just that... I hadn't even realised it until Lindsay told me how Philae looked so much like you, and then I finally figured that..." he said, not finishing his sentence. Instead, he looked down at her feet and kept tousling his hair.

Her heart started racing furiously; he looked even cuter when he was this confused. "Figured what, Luke ?" she asked in a soft voice.

He looked up at her, and she noticed with surprise that his eyes were different, like... Like they were shining with a strange, fire-like glow. For some reason, he didn't look indecisive at all anymore, to the contrary, he now seemed resolved to... To what ?

"It's amazing, really..." he murmured with a soft smile. "It's my job to juggle with words, but when it comes to you, to... this," he said, his hand going back and forth between them, "I'm always running out of them." She blushed a little; it could only be a good thing, right ? "And I should probably shut up right now, before I ruin our friendship or before you get grossed out and never want to speak with me again, but I don't think I can anymore. I know I can't. I just can't," he repeated with a sigh. "What I'm trying to say is that..."

Once again, he didn't finish his sentence, which was now starting to annoy Brooke. She was about to tell him to either talk to her honestly or get out of here, when he suddenly walked the few steps separating them and without any warning, decided to kiss her.

He barely gave her the time to react, since his lips quickly detached from hers; but instead of backing away, he stayed close to her, his hands cupping her face, his eyes intensely staring into hers. Brooke wondered what kind of face she was making right now.

She felt under anaesthetic, and yet a frenetic surge of energy she had never felt before was surging through her veins.

Lucas leaned forward again, and right when she thought he would kiss her again, he stopped before reaching her lips and pressed his forehead against her, his warm breath tickling her ear.

"I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you."

He was cautiously watching her, as if he was scared of her reaction. As if she would reject his feelings. _His feelings._ "You... You think ?" she mumbled, and relief crossed his face. "Because I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you too."

His eyes opened wide, and she couldn't recall ever seeing him this overjoyed. His hands swiftly slid on her hips, Brooke felt her heart beating so strong that for a moment she thought it would pop out of her chest, like in the cartoons she used to watch, and she smiled back at him.

Their lips met again, and when she put her arms around his neck, she felt her feet lift from the ground.

"Oh, no."

She was just as surprised as him when she realised that she had just said those two words. They stared at each other for a few seconds, and Brooke tried to break their embrace, her hands pushing him back.

How could she forget about him ? How ?

Lucas seemed confused and lost, but put her down anyway and she stepped back immediately, trying to get away from him before he could touch her again, make her forget. In her haste, she forgot about the bed being right behind her, and when she bumped into it, her knees bent down, she lost her balance, and if Lucas hadn't caught her she would have probably fallen down. He even helped her to sit on the edge of the bed, anguish growing on his face as she kept murmuring that she shouldn't have, she shouldn't have...

What was she supposed to do now ?

It was one thing to have feelings for Lucas, it was a whole other thing to get these feelings reciprocated. Something she had never imagined to be possible. It was truly what she had wished for the most and at the same time the one thing she had dreaded the most, for that made the situation even more complicated with Nathan.

"Brooke ?" Lucas called quietly. She looked up and saw that he was kneeling down in front of her, and kept staring at her like she was coming down with a strange disease. "Brooke, you..."

"I..." she murmured, her voice shaking. "I don't know if I can..."

Lucas seemed to understand, since his face turned pallid and he looked... hurt. "Because of Nathan ?" he asked.

If someone had told her an hour ago that she was capable of making Lucas this sad and disappointed, she wouldn't have believed it. And yet there he was, right in front of her, with a distraught look which she was responsible for.

She gave him a quick nod, tears pricking her eyes.

"I thought you weren't together anymore ?"

Brooke shook her head, her eyes drifting to her feet, silently praying for him to stay silent.

He gently took her face in his hands; a quiver ran through her body when he lifted her face. "Look at me, Brooke," he quietly told her. "Brooke, please, just look at me." She obeyed, and immediately regretted it. "I'm gonna ask you a very simple question, and all I want is a honest answer." She nodded, "Do you love him ? Are you in love with him ?"

His gaze locked into her eyes, leaving her with no way to run. But she couldn't tell him anything without speaking to Nathan first, he would hold it against her, and she didn't want to lose him.

But she knew that if she kept acting like that, it was Lucas she was going to lose, when she had never ever thought she could have him.

"No," she whispered with a sigh. "No, but..."

Her eyes filled with tears and suddenly Lucas' face became blurry... Until she blinked just once and felt tears running down her cheeks, Lucas staring at her with a lost look.

"Leave me alone, please," she managed to articulate, her voice cracking.

He didn't move for a while. He just stayed there, sitting in front of her, and she could feel his piercing eyes fixed on her. For several seconds, he didn't say a thing;he didn't need to. She could sense a mix of disappointment and anger all around him.

Then he eventually got up and she held her breath. To her relief, he left without a word.

Brooke plumped down on the bed, hiding her face behind her hands even though she knew no one could see her.

How was she going to fix this... And how was she going to have a peaceful conversation with Nathan after that ?

She had to, though, and fast. The more she waited, the more it would be hard to fix things with Lucas.

Brooke got up, even more resolved than earlier to meet with Nathan. She wiped off her tears with the back of her hand, and quickly left her room.

He was going to kill her for sure. Maybe she should have waited for Peyton to come back.

She could still give it a try, give him an explanation. And once she'd be done with that, she wouldn't have to feel guilty about seeing Lucas behind his back. After they talked...

Brooke arrived in front of Nathan's room. She knew Nathan was sleeping there since Mouth was in Rachel's room. She gently knocked on the door.

No one answered. Maybe he was already asleep, getting some rest before tomorrow's game ?

She hesitated a bit and was about to go back to her room, when she figured that she could still try... She put a hand on the doorknob, and realised she could turn it; the door wasn't locked.

Brooke quietly came in, not willing to wake him up in case he was really sleeping.

She had been right; the room was full of darkness, and if it wasn't for the moonlight coming from the window, she wouldn't have seen him. He was on his bed, peacefully sleeping.

Only he wasn't alone; Haley was by his side, her head resting on his shoulder. And even though they were covered with bedsheets, Brooke could easily guess that they were naked.

She stood there for a while, staring at them with a dumb expression on her face. And then she got a grip on herself, and strode off, quietly closing the door behind her.

Brooke stayed still in the corridor for a long moment, the same image stuck in her mind, taunting her.

A small laugh came out of her mouth; a laugh full of bitterness that surprised her. But she didn't stop laughing for that, she didn't care if she looked crazy right now.

Nathan had absolutely not waited for a so-called blessing from her to get to the next level with Haley. And why would he ? Why, since he hadn't even told her that he had a huge crush on her for the past months, since he hadn't even told her himself that he was now dating her, since he had been acting like a stranger with her for the past weeks ? In the end, she had been the only one for whom those past two years had mattered. How naive could she get ? A blessing ? Why would he need one ? He hadn't waited for one to get with Haley. For two months, maybe more, he had racked his brains to find a way to get rid of her... And she...

Oh, what an idiot. Lucas told her he loved her, and she was running away because she didn't want to _upset_ _Nathan_ ? The same Nathan who had been acting like an ass with her for the past weeks ?

Peyton was right, it was about time she started thinking about herself, and herself alone.

Her fists clenched, she walked to the elevator, wondering if there was a way to know in which room Lucas was staying. Whitey had told them that Lucas was staying on the fifth floor, where she was right now, but where exactly ? She couldn't knock at every single door, could she ? And more importantly, would he accept to listen to her, let alone see her, after what she had just done ?

He had taken a huge decision when he'd come to her, despite his teacher position, despite his strained relation with Nathan, and he had obviously thought this through. What if he was so disappointed by her, that he didn't want to be with her anymore ? What if...

Brooke mechanically turned around when she heard a door open. The one from the room right next to the elevator, right where she was.

Lucas froze when he saw her standing there, his hand stuck on the doorknob. So that was where he was.

"I... I was going to get a drink." he said in a hushed tone. "But why are you... ?"

She took a step toward him, slightly opening her mouth without any sound coming out of it; she simply didn't know what to say. He looked at her and held out his hand to her. Brooke realised that she didn't need to say a word, he got it anyway.

She didn't hesitate for a single moment; she took his hand and let him guide her in his room, a smile appearing at the corner of her lips.

* * *

A lot of brucas in this... I hope you enjoyed it ;) thank you for your reviews&PMs, it really means a lot to me.

I won't be able to post the next chapter this week, I'm going on a little holiday. So you should probably expect it next Wednesday-Thursday, minimum.

Thanks again for reading !

PS pour les lecteurs français qui m'ont posé la question, je compte bien poster les chapitres en français, dès que ma traduction anglais les aura rattrapé (càd dans deux chapitres déjà !)


	13. Stand by me

**STAND BY ME**

 **Brooke Davis**

Brooke felt Lucas' lips on hers, and it seemed to her that they had been there forever, lying down on this bed, their bodies turned to each other, doing nothing else but kiss in silence, as if they were trying to make up for all this time they had spent desperately trying to hide and bury their respective feelings.

He broke away from her, and Brooke felt his hand stroking her cheek she shivered, a little impressed by his gaze on her. She didn't know if it was simply her imagination playing tricks on her, but she had noticed that his eyes were a different kind of blue, more intense than usual.

"What's on your mind ?" she murmured him.

She apparently pulled him out of his reverie, for his eyes that had stayed still until now jolted a bit before landing on her. "I'm afraid I'll regret."

Brooke frowned, wondering if she had heard him right. She jerked up, startling him. "Regret what ?" she asked him warily, sitting crossed-legs.

He mimicked her and sat up straight, a slight smile appearing on his lips. "It's not what you think," he told her, apparently amused by her reaction. "I'm just afraid I'll regret not waiting a bit more."

"Waited for what ?"

"For your graduation. In less than two months, you won't be a high-schooler anymore, and only then can our relationship be accepted. Well, maybe not by everyone, but it won't have any consequences on us. But right now..."

Oh, that's what he was talking about. Brooke noticed that she hadn't even thought about that at all, not once since she had entered his room. "You're right. How could I forget that..." she said with a sigh. "I guess we have to forget what just happ..."

"No way," he cut her off, putting a finger on her lips, "I'm not forgetting anything."

"But you just said that..."

"Yeah, I should have waited," he said with a vague gesture, "but I couldn't."

She could feel her cheeks burning, but couldn't help a sigh of relief. For a short moment, she really had thought he was about to tell her they should ignore the past half an hour. "I'm glad you didn't wait," she said with a grin that quickly faded, "but what are we gonna do now ?"

Now that she had come back to reality, her brain was working hard and fast, check-listing all the problems they were bound to confront.

First of all, there was the fact that he was officially his teacher for six more weeks. For ethical reasons, any romantic relationship between them was totally forbidden. If they were found out, Lucas would definitely get fired, and his reputation would be shattered. His publishing house may not even want him anymore...

And there was their age difference. From Brooke's point of view, the four years separating them weren't that big, but she could bet that many people would not agree with her.

"We'll be extra careful." Brooke looked up at him when she heard him, surprised to see him this calm. "And I'll postpone my book's publishing." he said, looking determined.

"Why would you do that ?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because if it comes out in four or five months, and if someone from school reads it and connects the dots to you..." he said, making her guess what would happen. "But if I wait, let's say, until next year, then things will be a little different. Even if you get recognised in the book, we'll tell that we started meeting after summer."

Which made a lot of sense, really, but he seemed to have forgotten one very important detail. "What about Lindsay," she said with a frown, "she'll never wait a whole year just because..."

"She will," he said, apparently convinced.

"When I met her, she seemed in a hurry to publish your book..."

"If I explain everything to her, she'll agree with me. Maybe not right away, but I know I can convince her."

Brooke lowered her gaze, trying her best to hide her scepticism. She hadn't forgotten, far from it, that when Lucas' New Yorker editor had showed up in Tree Hill two months ago, her main intention had been to win him over. And now, he wanted to postpone his book because they were dating, and he seriously thought that Lindsay would be fine with that ?

"What ?" he asked, a hint of impatience in his voice.

"Nothing, it's just that... She clearly had her eyes on you." she said with a shrug.

"That's what's bothering you ?" he said, raising his eyebrows. "Don't worry about that, that was a long time ago, things have changed a lot since then. She even encouraged me to talk to you, you know."

"She did ?"

"She wasn't in love with me, but..." he said, embarrassed. "I think she thought we'd be good together. But I know she'll be thrilled when she knows about us," he concluded with a wide grin.

He was really lucky then, things were definitely not going to be that easy with Nathan. When he would know for them...

Lucas came closer to her and grabbed a hair lock on her shoulder. He started playing with it absent-mindedly. "Six weeks, it's not that long," he murmured, more to himself than to Brooke. "And you're gonna be busy with your finals, so..."

"There's someone I'd like to tell, about us."

"Peyton ?"

"Yeah... I mean no," she corrected, "I wasn't thinking about her. I'm gonna tell her for sure, it's so obvious that I'll tell her that I didn't even..."

"Then who ?" Lucas asked, intrigued.

"Nathan."

 **Peyton Sawyer**

After stepping into the hotel, she slowed her pace down until she was almost dragging her feet, her legs feeling suddenly very heavy.

She had gone from bar to bar with the rest of the girls, celebrating for hours. Peyton had grown tired of their rounds after a while and had mostly wondered how things had turned out for Brooke and Nathan. A little worried about her friends, she had decided to come back to the hotel, accompanied by three other cheerleaders.

As they were crossing the main hall, Peyton slowed down even more and eventually stopped, her eyes fixed on the back of a person who was sitting cross-legged on one of the couches. She saw the girls wander off to the elevator, hesitated for a few seconds on following them, then remembered what she had promised Brooke earlier at lunch.

She walked toward Julian, asking herself what he could be doing there at three am. Once she was standing behind him, she looked over his shoulder and noticed that he was watching on his computer some of the scenes he had shot a few weeks earlier. Peyton held back a smile, thinking of her best friend who had done the exact same thing the night before when she had come down here to read at night.

"Julian ?"

No answer, not even a flinch. She sighed, walked a few steps and turned around to face him, but his eyes didn't budge from his laptop screen and his ears were filled with earphones. An earthquake could have made the whole building collapse, and he still would not have felt a single tremor.

Peyton held out her right hand and from the tip of her fingers, gave a light push on the screen, making it bend forward. Julian finally reacted and looked up at her with a surprised face; he seemed even more startled when he recognised her, and with a sharp move, tugged on his earphones, making them drop on his knees.

"Peyton ?" he asked with a groggy voice. "What are you... What time is it ?"

"Around three," she said, sitting in front of him with his laptop between them. "I went out with the girls to celebrate..."

"Oh, congrats by the way, you definitely deserved it," he said with a shy smile.

"Thanks," she murmured, her eyes drifting away. "We never would have won without you."

"How come ?" he asked her, surprised and confused at the same time.

"Well, yeah," she said on a tad too harsh tone, "I wouldn't have found the music if it wasn't for you."

"Ah, that..." he said with a nod. "I'm sure you would have eventually..."

"That", she said, cutting him off, "is something we'll never know, and it's better this way. Look, that's it, I just thought I owed you a thanks."

She motioned to stand up but stopped when she heard him say, "It wasn't much."

Julian kept his eyes on her, and smiled at her with such a gentle smile that she, she... "Please, don't give me that look", she murmured, her eyes moving to her hands.

"What look ?" he asked, lost.

"The one that says you care about me," she whispered, her voice shaking.

She didn't let him answer and immediately stood up, rushing to the lift.

 **Lucas Scott**

"Nathan ?" He had probably misheard her... "You wanna tell Nathan ?" he repeated nonetheless, just to be sure.

If she really wanted to do that, she was definitely out of her mind. She had to know that the minute she'd tell him everything, he would be in a hurry to tell anyone and everyone about them, preferably people from school.

"I know what you're thinking," she said in a soft, taming voice, "but he's not gonna say anything to anyone."

"Brooke," he said incredulously, "he hates me !"

"And he'll hate me too if we hide this from him," she immediately said. "He'll eventually find out the truth anyway, so we might as well tell him now."

He opened his mouth, with a firm intention to reason with her, but changed his mind when he saw how determined she looked. "It's a terrible idea," he said, his jaw clenched.

Telling him meant handing him out on a silver plate a huge opportunity to get revenge for stealing his ex-girlfriend. Even if technically, Lucas had waited until Nathan had started dating someone else... He still knew that it would matter a lot to him.

"You think he'll be jealous ?" Brooke asked, her tone suddenly hesitant.

Lucas raised an eyebrow, confused as to why she was suddenly feeling uneasy. Her eyes shifty, she looked like she wanted to say something to him, but stayed silent anyway. "You did go out with him for more than two years," he told her, pointing out how he could only be right.

"No," she murmured with a slight frown.

"Fine," he said, rolling his eyes "maybe a little less than that but you can't say that..."

"No," she repeated stubbornly, shaking her head.

Intrigued, he stared at her for a long moment, wondering if she was ever going to tell him what she obviously wanted to so badly. Why was she hesitating that much ? Because it involved Nathan ?

Lucas then remembered all these weird details he had noticed about them. Nothing big really, just an accumulation of several strange moments or words they had said, like that time Nathan had told him that Brooke was like a sister to him. Or when Brooke had completely freaked out when Nathan had kissed her.

A possible explanation for all that had grown in his mind, but it was a little far-fetched, and he hadn't thought of it for a while... No, he couldn't be right about this. Not for so long...

"You weren't really dating ?" he asked her, not believing his own words.

Brooke's eyes rapidly opened wide and she seemed at a loss for words, until she finally said in a murmur, and with an oddly sad grin, "Bingo."

If he hadn't been already sitting, Lucas would have probably staggered. "But why ?" he asked, discomfited. Why would anyone fake a relationship ?

Brooke then started telling him the how and the why. He carefully listened to her until she was done with her story, but wasn't fully convinced by her explanation.

He could get why she had accepted this deal, but Nathan ? And why would he want to draw out this masquerade for so long ?

"But why did he come with that deal ?"

"I just told you, he wanted to get rid of the girls harassing him."

"Yeah, but why did he stay so long with you ?"

"Well..." she said, frowning. "I've never really thought about it, but at first he used to tell me all the time that things were better for him this way."

Contrary to her, Lucas knew something was off... Nathan was definitely keeping something from her. Maybe he had loved her and had wanted to get closer to her ? No, it was way too twisted to be true, and he had clearly told him that she was like a sister to him, so...

What Lucas didn't get was why had Nathan needed a girlfriend. Why Brooke ?

"And nobody knows ?"

"No," she said, shaking her head, "apart from Peyton of course. Oh, and Julian knows too."

"And your parents ?"

Brooke made a face, and told him hesitantly : "You're probably not gonna believe me, but I really wanted to tell my dad. I knew he wouldn't be thrilled, but I still wanted to. But Nathan was sure that if we didn't tell them, it would be easier, they wouldn't risk saying anything to anyone. You know, the less people know, the better. I did tell him that my dad would be careful and that anyway he never met any student, but since Dan is often at school, you know since he's part of the board, he thought it was better not to tell them." Her frown increased, as if she was realising that she was missing part of the puzzle.

"It's weird, though", he said, tilting his head on the side. "Dan is a master of deception, he cheated on my mom and he's probably cheating on Deb from what she says at work. So telling him your secret wouldn't have mattered, I'm pretty sure he would be proud of his son..."

Lucas knew, deep down, that he wasn't far from discovering the truth, that there was a single element missing from this story for it to make sense, but he couldn't see what it was. The only way to know the truth was to ask it to Nathan himself.

"I should have told you much sooner," Brooke murmured with an apologetic tone.

"Huh ?" he said, pulled from his thoughts.

"That I wasn't dating Nate. I should have told you, I wanted to but I couldn't do it before telling Nathan first, you know since your relationship is quite..."

"Strained," he finished for her.

"Right. I thought he would never forgive me if I told you."

Lucas now understood why she had reacted that way earlier this night, when he had come to see her in her room and she had started crying, to his great dismay. "But then," he asked, confused, "why did you come to my room ?"

"Actually," she said, biting on her lower lip, "I came up here to speak with Nathan, not you." His mouth formed an O, but no sound came out of it; instead, he felt a pang in his chest, resembling the one he usually felt when he forgot to take his heart meds. "But I wanted to talk about you," she immediately said, taking his hands in hers, "and then it really was you I wanted to see..."

"So you wanted to see him to... What, get his approval for me ?"

"Sort of, yeah," she admitted, her cheeks turning pink. "I don't think I would have gotten it," she said with a disappointed face, "but I wanted to give it a try."

"Wait, so you didn't get to talk ?" he asked, puzzled.

"No, when I went to his room he was, erm... sleeping. So I left and.. I realised that I didn't care if he gave me his approval or not. I just want to be with you and if he can't get that, it's his loss, not mine."

She gave him a radiant smile, one that could make his heart melt. In what felt to him like a natural thing to do now, he slid a hand on the nape of the girl whom had such an effect on him that it slightly scared him, and pulled her to him, bringing their lips together. She put her arms around his shoulders and rested her head on his chest, her hair tickling his neck.

Lucas closed his eyes and let out a small sigh. Against her, he could only surrender.

"Fine," he murmured to her ear, "tell him."

Her head shot up, "You don't mind ?" she asked, stupefied.

"You're right," he said with a shrug, "he'll know the truth someday and I think it's better if it comes from you rather than just anyone. And you won't be at ease until you tell him, so..." Brooke looked relieved and grateful at the same time, convincing him that he had made the right decision, even if Nathan were to prove him right in the next days. "Honestly," he asked with a chuckle, "if I'd said no, you would have told him anyway, right ?"

"You do know me well," she said with a laugh before pushing him onto the bed.

 **Peyton Sawyer**

The door's creaking, noticing her that someone was vainly trying to open it silently, finally resounded. As soon as it had reached her ears, her eyes popped open.

When she had come back earlier to her room, she had been very surprised to see that Brooke was not there. She had figured that her little talk with Nathan had been longer than planned and had thus stayed awake for almost an hour, nervously waiting for her friend to come back, all the more anxious that Brooke had had the great idea to leave her phone behind. The thought of going to Nathan's room herself had crossed her mind, but since his final was in a few hours, she had figured that it would have been suicidal to wake him up in the middle of the night.

Peyton sat up on her bed, making Brooke jump; she looked tired, but at least she was alive and breathing. She slowly got up from the bed and turned to the brunette, who kept looking at her with a goofy smile.

"Where the hell have you been ? I was worried sick !"

"Peyton..." she started saying, holding up her palms to her.

"No, you don't have any excuses !" she cried. "You didn't even take your phone, you know that rectangle thing that you're supposed to have with you all the time ? Going out, in the middle of the night, without any warning ? What if something happened, your father would have killed me ! And I..."

"Peyt ! I didn't go anywhere, I was in the hotel !" she said in a loud voice, though with an amused look on her face.

"Huh ? You've been with Nathan this whole time ?" she asked, confused.

"No, he was already asleep when I went to his room."

"So where did you spend the night ?"

Brooke cleared her throat, a lopsided smile brightening her face. Peyton noticed, now that her anguish was gone, that Brooke seemed... peaceful. "I was with Lucas."

"With Lu– NO !" she shouted, her eyes wide open, her lips turning into a wide grin. Brooke simply nodded, the corner of her mouth now reaching her eyes. "I knew it ! I knew he was into you !"

Both girls squealed with sheer joy, not caring one bit for the neighbours they would wake up, and bounced up and down before falling into each other's arms, the same way they had hours ago, when they had won their trophy.

 **Nathan Scott**

When his eyes opened from his sleep, they immediately looked for Haley, who wasn't lying down next to him as he had thought. Lifting up his head a bit, he saw her sitting on the edge of the bed, her back turned to him as she was putting her shoes on.

"Already up ?"

Haley turned to him and leaned forward to kiss him, a slight smile on her lips. Then she straightened her back with a suddenly more serious face. "The door wasn't locked."

"Huh ?" he asked, not entirely awaken.

"The bedroom door," she repeated, pointing toward it, "it wasn't locked. I saw that when I got up."

"Ah," he simply said, shrugging it off, "I probably forgot to lock it yesterday night. Good thing no one came in," he added with a lopsided grin.

Her cheeks suddenly turning crimson, she closed her hand into a fist and gave him a hit on his shoulder, which really felt like a tickle to Nathan. She frowned with a disapproving stare, "It's not funny, what if someone had really come in..."

"Oh it is funny," he said with a chuckle, "you should see you face right now."

"Nathan I'm serious, I think someone came in this night."

When he saw her worried look, he stopped laughing, leaned on the other side of the bed to grab the clothes he had thrown on the floor last night. "What ? When ?" he asked, trying to remember ever hearing anyone come in. "I didn't notice anything weird, and you didn't say..."

"No," she cut him off, shaking her head, "it wasn't when we were, erm... I mean it was after that, when we were sleeping."

"You saw someone ?" he asked, his brow furrowed.

"No, but I woke up in the middle of night and I thought I'd heard the door close. I went back to sleep thinking that it was just a dream, but maybe it wasn't since the door really wasn't locked..."

Ah, now he knew what this was about. She had simply been dreaming, had suddenly woken up and thought she had heard something. "Right, there's probably an old perv roaming around the place," he said, doing his best to hide his amusement.

"You think it's all in my head," she said, squinting at him.

"No," he replied, getting up from the bed after he had put some pants on, "I _know_ it is. No one came in, Hales."

She got up too, crossing her arms against her; "Fine," she said, her voice a little high-pitched, "call me crazy all you want, I know I'm right."

He couldn't hold back another laugh, this time much louder, which ticked her off : she stormed out, making him laugh even harder.

When his good mood subsided, he finally remembered that today was his big day, and only a few hours were left before their final. Noticing that his hands were shaking just thinking about it, Nathan naturally thought that he wished he could talk about it with... well, with Brooke.

He sighed and sat on the bed. He had to talk to her, if only to congratulate her for her victory, but... There was a good reason why he had been avoiding any conversation with her since their 'break-up'. He knew that if he were to talk to her, he would eventually crack and tell her that Lucas was also in love with her. And that was something he didn't want to tell her, for that meant throwing her in Lucas' arms, and that was something he couldn't do.

On the other hand, he was perfectly aware that since they weren't together anymore, she had felt pretty lonely. Not to mention that she was absolutely convinced that she had no chance at all with Lucas. He also knew deep down that he didn't have the right to keep her from happiness, which was really not what he wanted to do, to the contrary... What was he supposed to do with all these schizophrenic thoughts ?

Well she was probably furious with him for not telling her about Haley, or not talking to her at all for days now... So even if he wanted to talk to her, it wasn't like he really could, was it ?

Nathan let out a long sigh, dropping his head in his hands; how much of a coward was he ?

 **Brooke Davis**

"You need to stop with the goofy grin."

Brooke, her head resting on her hand, elbow on the table where they were having breakfast, looked up at Peyton. "Why ?"

"Because if you keep it up, everyone will know what's going on. Especially if Lucas keeps staring at you like that," she added with a half-exasperated, half-amused smile.

She knew he was sitting behind her somewhere, and was now starting to regret not sitting at Peyton's seat. "So," she said, changing the subject, "have you talked to Julian ?"

"A little, yeah," her friend said, eyes drifting to her plate.

"Oh Peyt," Brooke said, rolling her eyes and expecting the worst, "what kind of horrible things did you say to him this time ?"

"Nothing bad," she said with a shrug, "I even thanked him."

According to her troubled face, she had said more than that. "And … ?"

"And nothing, I went up to bed after that."

"Peyton," she said with a sigh, "I honestly don't know what else you need from him. He's obviously crazy about you, and I know that you like him too."

"But he ratted you out..."

"And I've told you a million times that I don't care about that," she said a little too curtly. "He made a mistake, we all do. Can't you forgive him already ?"

"It's not my fault if I don't want to, not now," Peyton replied with a frown.

"Fine," she sighed, disheartened, "then go ahead and take your time... But what if, while you're waiting for the right time to forgive him, he finds someone else ?"

"Why ?" she asked with a frown, "Someone's hitting on him ?"

"No," she said with a grin, relieved to finally get a reaction from Peyton, "but it might happen if you keep refusing to talk to him. Speaking of... I have to see Nathan," she said, getting up from her chair, "we have like a dozen of talks to catch up."

"I can come with you if you want..."

"Nah," she said with a grateful smile, "I'll see you in our room."

Peyton gave her a nod and watched her walk away from their table. With each step she was making, Brooke was trying to gather up some more courage, until she finally reached the table where Nathan and Haley had been eating their breakfast.

Standing next to them, she cleared her throat. They turned their heads at the same time, and both seemed startled to see her. Haley's reaction though was nothing compared to Nathan's who almost choked on his toast.

"Brooke," he managed to say after a coughing spell, "what are..."

"Can I sit here ?"

"Sure," Haley told her, sliding on the next chair to let her sit on hers. She gave her a warm smile, before quickly looking embarrassed, though Brooke couldn't see why. "I didn't really get to talk to you last night, not after we came back to the hotel," she said with an apologetic face. "I wanted to, but, erm... I've been busy," she eventually said, blushing.

"Yeah, I know you were," Brooke said with a playful wink.

"You... You know ?" Haley repeated, confused.

"Actually," she said, turning to Nathan, "I wanted to talk to you last night, so I went up to your room around... midnight, I think. And the door was open, so I..."

"Ha !" cried Haley, "So it was you ! See," she added to Nathan's attention, "I knew someone had come in !"

Nathan looked at her, then back at Brooke, and seemed torn between confusion and embarrassment. "You were sleeping," Brooke immediately added, "so I left."

"You wanted to talk ?" Nathan asked her with a distant gaze.

Brooke sighed inwardly, wondering if even if she came to talk to him on her own, he would still act as if she didn't exist. "Erm, Rachel asked me to help her with..." Haley started saying. "With a thing. So... I'd better get to my room now." she said, shooting up on her feet.

Brooke thanked her with a smile, while Nathan looked somewhat terrified to spend some time alone with her. "If you hate me that much," she murmured as stoically as she could, "I can leave."

"I don't hate you," he immediately said, shaking his head.

"Really ?" she retorted, though relieved. "I mean... You haven't said a word to me since our infamous break-up..."

"We gotta keep up appearances," he said with a shrug.

"You didn't even say anything yesterday."

"I wanted to, but as Haley just said..."

"She came down on the stage," Brooke corrected in a cold voice. "You didn't. Hell, the whole basketball team came down but you didn't, so please Nate, stop bullshitting me." she said in a shaking voice, detaching the last syllables.

"I... Fine," he said hesitantly, "I..."

"It's what I told you about Lucas ? That's why you don't want to talk to me anymore ?" she asked in a calm tone.

He finally looked up at her, and Brooke realised, without surprise, that she had been right. Great, if that was his reaction for her feelings, what was he going do when he'd know they were now dating ? Flee the country ?

"It's not that," Nathan told her, "not just that. I... I'm sorry."

"For what ?"

"For not telling you about Haley. I should have, from the beginning, but... But I thought that if you knew, you'd be sad to be alone again."

"Nathan..." she sighed.

"No, let me finish," he cut her off, apparently now determined to get it off his chest. "I wanted to tell you, I really wanted to do, you have to believe me. But I waited, and waited... And in the end Haley told you first, and I felt like such a dick. Especially since..." he said, suddenly hesitant. "It's just a dumb idea I had, but I used to think that... I mean I thought maybe..."

"Spit it out, Nate," she rushed him.

He suddenly looked shameful and glanced down at his hands. "I thought you wanted out go out with me. I mean for real."

Brooke slightly opened her mouth, unaware as to what she could say. How she could explain it to him. "You're right." His head shot up, startled. "I mean, not entirely right," she nuanced. "It's just that three months ago, before your brother arrived here, I had no idea where we were going."

She frowned, and then thought of what Lucas had told her about Lindsay. That it wasn't really Lucas whom she had loved, but the idea of being with him. Maybe it had been the same for her regarding Nathan, that she had simply liked the idea of being in love...

"Actually," she said in a soft voice, "maybe I was just scared of what we would become, once our deal was off. Which was really childish, but... But don't worry, I've never been in love with you."

Nathan watched her carefully, a frown crossing his now sullen face, "You were that scared that I'd abandon you as soon as we called things off ?"

"Erm... Isn't that exactly what happened ?" she retorted, an eyebrow raised.

"It's different," he defended, "I... It's not that I don't want to talk to you, it's just that I can't."

"What do you mean, you can't ?" she asked, puzzled.

"Because..." he said, hesitating. "If we talk, then I'll definitely tell you that..."

"That what, Nathan ?" she asked, now anxious.

He closed his eyes, a deep crease appearing on his forehead. Why did he look like he was fighting something ? "I'm so sorry," he told her in a hushed voice, "I'm sorry because I keep you from happiness."

Her happiness ? "But Nate," she said with a soft smile, "I just told you that I've never been in l–"

"No, I'm not talking about that."

"Ah. Then what, Haley ?" What did that have to do with her happiness ?

"No."

"Then what," she said, tired with his riddles, "me ? Or Lucas ?" It had to be one of them, and when Nathan's eyes opened, she knew he had indeed been talking about Lucas. "Does it have to do with what I said about him the other night ?" she cautiously asked, throwing stealthy glances around her. "About my feelings ?"

"You were wrong," he breathed out as if he had been holding his breath so far.

"Like I said," she said with a frown, "I didn't chose to ..."

"No, Brooke, that's not what I mean. I know you didn't chose anything, and... I'm sorry I've been an ass with you for that. You were wrong when you said that whatever happened, it was pointless to have these feelings for him."

Brooke swallowed, doing her best not to fidget. Did he already know something, before she could even tell him ? But how could he know about them ? "Wh – What do you mean ?"

"I heard him over the phone, three weeks ago I think, maybe more... Anyway he was talking about you, and... Well, he was clearly saying that he was in love with you too," he said with a small sigh. Brooke opened her eyes wide, stupefied by that news. Not by the fact that Lucas had the same feelings as her, since she had learnt about that hours ago, but because it was Nathan who was now telling her about it. "Honestly," he added with remorse, "I didn't want to tell you. But I did want to tell you too, I know you deserve to know the truth... I'm sorry Brooke, I am. I shouldn't have kept that from you for so long."

"So why are you telling me now ? I thought you hated him," she murmured, puzzled.

"But I love you," he said with a shrug. "And apparently that makes me grow up a bit. Anyway, whatever you decide to do with that information is none of my business, but for God's sake Brooke, _please_ be careful, we're still in high school." he said, standing up.

"Wait !"

He turned to her, an eyebrow raised. It had probably cost him a lot to admit that... If she told him now that she was dating Lucas, he'd be disappointed for sure... It wasn't something she could risk, not now, right before his final.

"You better get this trophy," she told him with a wink.

"Please Davis, if you could get yours, then I'm definitely not worried," he said with a boyish grin.

Brooke sighed of relief when she saw him walk off, leaning her head backwards to contemplate the ceiling. Now all that was left to do was pray that she had made the right decision.

 **Lucas Scott**

The walls were shaking around them, witnessing the deafening uproar filling the gymnasium. Lucas, sitting on the lockers' bleachers, was silently listening to the Coach's speech, watching the young players hanging on his every word.

It wasn't exactly the same speech he had heard five years before, but the message was basically the same. Lucas glanced stealthily at Nathan, and noticed with relief that he looked completely relaxed.

Whitey had not finished speaking to them when they heard the doors slam open, a few steps, and then they were all, including Nathan, surprised to see Dan stand next to Whitey.

What the hell was he doing here ? The Coach immediately asked him aloud, not caring about his abruptness.

"I represent our school," he told them with a fawning voice, "and since I'm the captain's father, I think I can watch him, can't I ?"

Watch him, not cheer for him, Lucas noted. It was maybe just a detail, but it said a lot about his genitor's way of thinking. Lucas threw him a death stare, that Dan didn't fail to notice and answered him with his legendary smug face. Then he looked at the players again, this time taking on a more serious tone.

"I hope you all know the city's counting on you."

"Stop being such a drama queen Danny," Coach told him with a snort, "you're gonna scare them. Go get a seat before there's none left."

Dan's jaw tightened when he heard that nickname, but he didn't say anything back and this time, looked only in Nathan's direction. "I just wanted to warn them."

Lucas furrowed his brow, his glance travelling back and forth from Nathan to Dan. Was that a usual family scene for them ? If Dan put that much pressure on his son, all the time, it would explain a few things about him...

Not long after Dan had left, they all stood up, all of them except for Nathan, and walked with a firm step towards the court. Coach noticed the absence of reaction from Nathan, and told him with a frown : "Are you coming or what ?"

"I'll be there in a sec, Coach," he said in a low voice, his head buried in his hands.

Whitey didn't seem satisfied by that answer, and made a step toward him. Lucas decided to stand between them and put a hand on Whitey's shoulder, asking him with a silent head movement towards the door to follow his players. He obeyed, without question.

Lucas hesitated for a short while, then went to sit next to Nathan. His brother was stubbornly looking at the floor, a surly look stuck on his face.

"Are you okay ?"

"What do you think ?" he retorted, stinging.

Off to a good start, huh ? "You were doing just fine until Dan arrived."

Nathan didn't say anything back, his frown only getting deeper. Lucas held back a sigh, wondering what the hell he was trying to do now, and why he was doing it. Maybe it was because Nathan had a chance to do something that he had never been able to, not with his heart condition. Or maybe simply because Nathan was his brother.

"Why do you play basketball ?"

Nathan gulped and raised his head, staring at the lockers aligned in front of them. "Trust me, now's not the time to talk about this. It could take hours."

"Fine," Lucas said, not ready to give up. "Then, can you at least tell me why you want to win tonight ?"

Nathan frowned again, probably wondering what was going into him, asking him these questions all of a sudden, but still answered : "For the team, for the Coach... And for me too. I've dreamt of this for years," he told him, visibly troubled.

"Alright," Lucas said, satisfied, "then that's all that matters."

"But..." Nathan said, hesitant. "What if it's not enough ?" he asked him, turning to face him. Lucas noticed how anguished he looked. "If we lose, Coach will be so disappointed..."

"Nathan," he cut him off with a sigh, "Whitey, he... Don't tell him I said this to you, but he thinks of you as the best player he's ever trained, and there's a reason for that." He seemed to doubt that, which only encouraged him to keep talking. "Even if you lose, after all the efforts and progress you've made with your team, I don't think he could ever be disappointed with you. And the same goes for all those people who'll be cheering for you on once you're on the court. Remember that you're never, ever alone. You have eight team-mates supporting you, a coach who trusts you, a girlfriend who apparently cares a lot about you and friends who love you... And I'm supporting you too, even if you doubt that. I know what you can do when you're at your best, but to do that, you need to free yourself from Dan's opinion."

Nathan, who had averted his eyes from him so far, looked at him with surprise, "You're really supporting me ?"

"That's all you heard from everything I just said ?" he asked with a lopsided grin, standing up. "Of course I do, whether you want it or not, we _are_ brothers after all."

Nathan got up too, his eyes locked on him. "Even if I keep treating you like shit ?"

"I'm sure you have your reasons," Lucas shrugged. Well, truthfully he didn't think he had any, but now was not the time for that.

"Brooke..." Nathan hesitated, "She's really vulnerable, even if she likes to pretend she's not. So please, be careful with her."

"What ?" he said, dazed. Why was he suddenly talking about Brooke ?

"Look, I'm not saying I'd be thrilled, because I wouldn't, but... You have more of a chance with her than you think."

Oh, that meant Brooke had not told him yet... She was probably waiting for the tournament to end. "Let's talk about this later," he said awkwardly, checking his watch, "the game's about to start."

"Alright," Nathan said with a sigh.

Nathan took a few steps, walking ahead of him and surprised him when he spun around to face him. When he saw his hand clenching into a fist, Lucas wondered if he was going to punch him, and why the hell he would even do that after everything he had just told him, when he saw him hold out it arm to him. Lucas raised his eyebrows and regained his composure when with a grin, he bumped his fist against his brother's.

"Game on," Nathan murmured.

 **Brooke Davis**

78-76.

Brooke didn't know a lot about basketball, despite the past three years spent cheering during numerous games, but even she understood that getting three points in less than ten seconds was double or quits. They all stopped jumping at the same time, holding back their breaths. Even the crowd had stopped making noise, a religious silence filling the court as the Ravens were rushing to the other half of it where their hoop was, making their way through the adversary defence, and when the ball landed in Nathan's hands, he bent his knees three seconds before the end. Just as she had seen him do many times, he rose from the wooden floor with baffling grace, expanding his arms over his head.

It felt to her like the slowest second of her life, while the ball was drawing a perfect semi-circle above the ground, until it went through the hoop.

The crowd erupted with joy just as the buzzer rang out to mark the end of the match, and thus their victory.

With an enormous déjà-vu feeling, the girls jumped for joy before running to the Ravens, already busy laughing and hugging each other. Under the confetti falling down, spectators who had come from Tree Hill were walking down the bleachers to congratulate them, and surrounded by too many people and noise, Brooke thought she was going to get lost in the crowd, until she felt a pressure on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Nathan, a wide radiant smile from ear to ear. He took her in his arms, hugging her so tightly that she laughed and thought he would smother her. When he let her go, she place a hand on his cheek, "I'm so proud of you," she told him with a smile.

Then she looked over his shoulder, and told him to go. Nathan didn't seem to understand, so she gestured him to look behind him and when he did, when he saw Haley standing a few feet from him, his smile got even wider. Nathan looked back at her one more time, pecked her on the cheek and walked away, making his way through the crowd.

Seeing him that euphoric, she wondered if it wasn't better to wait another day to tell him about Lucas.

The people around her didn't really let her ponder on that, since after they had carried Nathan on their shoulders, she got requisitioned too. She didn't mind at all celebrating a second time.

When they all went back to the hotel, Whitey let them linger around the bar for a while, advising them all to enjoy their night here without pulling any crap, because he was always watching them, even when they couldn't see him.

Indeed, he was sitting at the other side of the bar where Brooke was sitting too, and was talking to Lucas. Brooke saw him look at her; she gave him a playful wink that made him grin. She then turned to Mouth, sitting next to her, telling her a story of game records or something... Nothing very fascinating.

Her attention turned to Rachel, who walked in the bar staggering. She was leaning on different people to keep her balance and managed to slowly crawl to them; when she arrived near them, she jumped at Brooke's neck, making them both bump against the bar.

"Wow, Rach !" she cried, holding her up, "Everything okay ?"

"Definitely !" she replied with a light laugh.

Brooke grabbed the drink Rachel had been tightly clutching in one hand, while Mouth, his face filled with anxiety, grabbed her by the waist and had her sit on his lap. Brooke took the drink closer to her face, sniffing it cautiously; one thing was certain, the champagne bottle they had drunk yesterday was not the only one Rachel had brought with her.

"That's not really orange juice," she told Mouth, after making sure with a quick glance that Whitey was still facing the other way.

"I should get her to our room," he said, getting up with his hands locked on Rachel's shoulders. "I'm sorry, I have to..."

"Don't worry," she said with a smile, "hurry up before Whitey sees you."

After they had discreetly left, Brooke sipped on her non-alcoholic drink, her eyes roaming around the room. It was a rather large bar, big enough that she couldn't see everyone. She could see Nathan at the other end of the room, playing pool with his team-mates, and she knew Peyton was somewhere around... Ah, there she was. She was standing in the opposite direction, talking with Haley and two other girls. Brooke figured she could join them and motioned to get up, but stopped and stayed on her stool when she noticed someone sitting right next to her.

"Oh, mister Scott," she said, surprised to see him there, "if it's Nathan you're looking for he's..."

"I know where he is," Dan said, putting his drink in front of him. A little embarrassed, Brooke thought it was now or never if she wanted to get away. She was already half-up on her seat when he talked again and made her sit again : "So I heard things went also great for your competition ?"

"Erm, yeah," she said, realising he wanted to talk a bit with her.

Brooke noticed that he looked a little different from usual, and wondered how many drinks he'd already had. Raising an arm, he gestured to the bartender to get him another. He came to him, bottle in hand, but hesitated before pouring another drink in the glass Dan was holding out to him, sending a worried look at Brooke, before doing his job.

"It's great that Nathan won," she said, trying to fill the awkward silence between them.

She knew Dan a little, well more than a little since she had met him many times in his house, and everytime he had seen her, he had always talked a lot with her, with much enthusiasm... He had a natural talent to make her uncomfortable, and luckily Nathan was always around to find an excuse to get rid of him. But this time, Nathan was too far from them, and despite the signals she was trying to send him, he hadn't noticed her.

"Oh, that's not surprising," Dan told her proudly, "he's a Scott. Victory's in our blood."

She did her best not to roll her eyes. "I can see that."

"How long are you staying here ?"

"Since tomorrow's a bank holiday, we'll leave in the morning," she politely said.

"Ah, a little rest before your finals then. When is it for again ?"

Brooke quickly glanced around her, this time looking at Peyton. "Next month."

"And are you gonna be fine ?"

"I think so, yeah."

"Good," he said with a smile that probably meant to be gentle, but only made her shriek on the inside. "And about Nathan... You don't think you can make up ?"

"No, I mean we're still friends, but..."

"Too bad, I liked you."

Brooke held back a sigh; Peyton was apparently not willing to look in her direction either. "Haley's really nice, you know..."

"Yeah, yeah," he cut her off with a vague hand movement that clearly meant he didn't agree with her, "well... Nathan refuses to talk about it. I don't even know who decided to break up."

"It's something we both wanted." she said, looking back at him with a slight frown.

"Oh, I see... But, you must be a little sad that you're not together, aren't you ?" he asked her, taking a mouthful of his drink.

"Erm... Yeah, I guess."

Why was he asking her about this now ? Dan leaned forward, his face getting closer to her. "You know..." he whispered, his alcoholic breath tickling her nose, "I think he made a pretty big mistake when he let you go."

"Erm... Thanks." she said, not knowing what to say. He probably thought he was flattering her, but really, she only felt disgusted right now. If only he could leave on his own...

"You know," he added, suddenly putting his hand on her thigh, "I've always found you very charming."

Fuck. "Mister Scott," she said, her eyes drifting to his hand, her muscle beneath it tensing up.

"Oh, no need to be scared, we know each other pretty well, don't we ?"

That was exactly what was scaring her. Nathan had told her numerous times that his father liked to cheat on his wife with younger women... And apparently with a little alcohol in his system, his age limit lowered even more. "Mister Scott," she repeated, her jaw clenched, "could you please take your hand off ?"

She threw an umpteenth look in Nathan's direction, who was still busy playing pool. It could really, really help her if she could avoid slapping one of the board members of her school, a month before graduation...

"Get your filthy hands off her," a much colder voice said.

Startled, Brooke turned to her right and saw that Lucas had put a hand on his father's arm, strongly holding it. Dan looked back at him, his eyebrows raised. "Gee, calm down..."

"I won't say it again." he warned him, his voice shaking with anger.

To her relief Dan obeyed him, and Brooke finally relaxed. She didn't entirely relaxed though, when she noticed how Lucas and Dan were staring angrily at each other as if they were about to jump at each other's throat. Lucas' gaze was much more darker than usual; that couldn't be a good sign at all.

"Don't be so pissed," Dan told him with a mocking laugh, "it's okay if Nathan beat you."

"What are you talking about ?" Lucas asked, raising an eyebrow.

"My son is now officially better than you."

"Believe me," he replied coldly, "I'm genuinely happy for him. And I hope you don't feel responsible for this win because if you do, you're deluding yourself."

Brooke knew where this was going so she stood up, getting Lucas' attention. "I'm going to my room."

"I'll escort you," he said, shooting a bitter look at Dan.

She gave him a shy smile, his presence enough to make her forget about the uncomfortable situation she had just been stuck in with Dan. They had barely made three steps that she heard Dan's voice from behind them, calling out to her. "Brooke, if you feel lonely tonight, I took a room here."

She shuddered, averting her eyes while a nauseous feeling rushed in her, and she noticed that Lucas had frozen next to her, just like a statue. She also saw his eyes darken, and she knew things were going to go out of control when he turned around to Dan. She had barely realised what was going on, when seconds later, after a loud bang, Lucas was pinning his father's head against the bar, using his other hand to lock his arms behind his back.

"Take that back," she heard him shout in Dan's ear.

The constant brouhaha that had been so far cramming the room quickly faded away, and when she saw how many people were staring at them with confused looks, Brooke walked up to Lucas, pressing a hand against his shoulder to make him move. The moment she had put her hand on him, he relaxed a bit for just a short moment, a short moment that was enough for Dan to push them both to the floor.

Brooke held back a cry when Lucas fell on her, dragging her in his fall. She didn't see how he had been so quick, but he had managed to push her on the side so that she wouldn't die crushed like a fly.

A dull pain appearing on the shoulder on which she had landed, Brooke closed her eyes just a moment and when she opened them again, saw Peyton and Haley running to her. Peyton grabbed her shoulders and dragged her on the floor, away from what she considered as the danger area. That's when Brooke saw Lucas standing up again and sending his right fist against Dan's eye.

"No !"

Her shout got muffled in all the other shouts around her. They all saw Dan stagger backward, grab the bar in a desperate attempt not to fall, stand up again, his furious look locked on Lucas. He was apparently determined to get Lucas' head when, to Brooke's greatest relief, Whitey arrived from behind him and strongly tackled him round the waist.

"Enough Dan," he commanded him, his face completely red, "stop that !"

Nathan arrived too, and after a quick glance to his father, turned to Lucas. Lucas who had absolutely not calmed down; to the contrary he looked like he couldn't wait to get to round two with Dan. Nathan seemed to understand that, for he tightly grasped his shoulder and dragged him against his will away from their father.

Brooke was still sitting on the floor, her legs spread out in front of her, her left hand massaging her shoulder that was now hurting like hell.

"Are you okay ?" Peyton asked her, crouched next to her. "What the hell just happened ?"

"I..." she started saying, lost. "Where is he ?"

"Who ?" Haley asked her with a worried face.

"Lucas, where..."

She got up, ignoring her friends complaints, and looked for him. She couldn't see Nathan either, where had he taken him ?

Brooke rushed out of the bar, walked through the lounge and finally saw them walking toward the backstairs. She followed them as fast as she could, and when she walked through the swinging doors, she saw that Lucas was sitting on top of the first steps, and that Nathan was standing on the right side, leaning on the wall behind him.

Lucas raised his head when he heard her; he immediately got up when he saw her and walked down the three steps separating them, brushing her face with his hand.

"Are you hurt ?" he asked with an apologetic look.

"No," she said, shaking her head, "well I think I hurt my shoulder, but it's nothing big. What got into you ?" she asked with a frown.

"You heard him!" he replied, outraged. "I couldn't let him talk to you like that."

"You should have," she retorted, crossing her arms. "He's your boss, remember ? He can get you fired with just a phone call !"

Lucas snorted, his eyes drifting to the wall next to them. "Like I care about that," he said in a firm tone. "He can't talk to you like that."

"Oh, Luke..." she said with a sigh, touched.

"Wait... Are you guys dating ?!"

Brooke opened her eyes wide and turned to her right, where Nathan, whom she had completely forgotten was standing, staring at them as if they had gone mad. He looked startled, worried, and angry all at the same time.

"Nate," she said softly, "I swear I was gonna tell you, yesterday and then this morning too, but..."

"But what ?" he asked, stepping toward them.

"I wanted to wait for the game to be over." she explained with a shrug.

Nathan slowly shook his head, screwing up his eyes. "You really never listen, do you ?" he said before turning to Lucas. "And you, that's the dumbest decision you've ever made."

"And yet it was carefully thought" Lucas replied curtly, his rush of adrenaline apparently not over.

"You had six more weeks to wait until graduation ! What if someone finds about you ? Do you imagine what would happen, huh ?"

"No one will know," Brooke told him with a frown, "and especially not from you, right ?" She stared at him, and he stared back. He opened his mouth, ready to answer, but closed it right away, his eyes moving to the floor, and he eventually leaned on the wall behind him, crossing his arms. "And you," she said, turning to Lucas, "I can defend myself just fine, I don't need you to rescue me."

"Wow, seriously ?!" he exclaimed, vexed, moving back. "That's how you thank me ?"

"You do realise that some people might have thought you were overreacting a bit, don't you ?"

"No Brooke, I wasn't over-reacting. Anyone with the least bit of common sense would have done the same just with the way he was looking at you," he told her with a disgusted face.

"Wait, what happened exactly?" Nathan asked with a frown.

"Dan made a move on her."

"No !" she cried, "I mean yeah, kinda, well... He went a little too far when he touched my thigh and offered to meet in his room but he... Hey ! Where do you think you're going ?!"

When she saw Nathan striding to the doors behind her, with a resolved look on his face, she walked to him with the firm intention to avoid another scandal. "I'm gonna knock some sense into him, that's what I'm gonna do," he told her, looking at her as if she was insane.

"No ! No, no one is going anywhere !" she yelled at them both.

"Brooke, he..."

"I know ! I know. I also think he's despicable and pathetic, but he's drunk, and he's already creepy when he's sober, so... I'm sure he'll apologize tomorrow."

Nathan rolled his eyes, shaking his head in disagreement. He then turned to Lucas and murmured, "I get why you did that, now."

"Don't praise him !" she cried in dismay. "He might get fired now, and..."

"No," Nathan said with a frown.

"No what ?"

"He won't get fired, not by Dan."

Lucas looked at him, and Brooke saw with relief that he had finally calmed down. "Why do you say that ?"

Nathan turned to him, and seemed to hesitate. "Because... He wanted you at school."

For a second, Lucas looked like he had lost his voice. "He _what_ ?"

"He put pressure on the board to get you hired."

* * *

I'm sorry this chapter came a little late, I've been busy with administration stuff... Anyway it's here now so I hope you guys liked it ! Thank you for your reviews, I got so many for the last one (considering what happened in it, I'm not surprised ^^)

I'll try to translate the next one by the end of the week. Oh and I just realised that the next chapter is the last one I had finished in French, so from chapter 15 on it will all be new, even for me ! Which means it might take me a little longer to update. But if I counted right, after the next one there'll only be 2, maybe 3 chapters left.

Thanks for reading :)


	14. Papa don't take no mess

**PAPA DON'T TAKE NO MESS**

 **Brooke Davis**

The mildly angered expression that had been lingering on Lucas' face suddenly disappeared, to Brooke's surprise. "What does that mean ? Why would he pressure them ?" he asked, abashed.

Nathan didn't answer him and instead simply made a face that clearly meant he regretted his words, though Brooke didn't know why. His eyes drifted to the opposite direction of his brother, refusing to look at him.

She raised her gaze to Lucas, who still looked extremely troubled by what Nathan had just shared with him. She instinctively held out her hand and brushed Lucas'; he grabbed her hand, and squeezed it so tightly that it hurt a little, but she didn't tell him that.

Brooke glanced back at Nathan and was about to ask him what he had meant, when she heard and saw the double doors swing open. Peyton appeared on the threshold, quickly followed by Haley.

"Broo –"

Peyton stopped when she saw their hands linked together. They both immediately stepped away from one another, but Brooke wasn't naive, she had seen the startled look that had briefly crossed Haley's face. Great, one more person who knew about their dirty little secret.

"Is everything alright ?" Peyton asked, turning to Nathan.

"Yeah," he mumbled, his head lowered. "I'm going back to my room."

"Wait," Brooke told him.

He ignored her and crossed the doors under their confused looks, and when Haley watched him leave and turned to Brooke, probably looking for an explanation as to what had just happened, she signalled her to follow him with a nod. Haley thus went after Nathan, leaving the girls alone with the older Scott.

It didn't take him long to speak again, this time to Brooke, "You should go," he told her with a quiet voice.

"I can stay if –"

"No," he cut her off, "go."

She wanted to protest but got taken aback when he gently pushed her towards the exit. Brooke sighed, but resigned herself and linked her arm with Peyton's. Once in the main hall, her friend asked her with a worried look to tell her exactly what had happened, including the fight in the bar, since she had only seen the end of it and had absolutely no clue on what had happened with Dan.

Brooke finished telling her when they entered their room. She closed the door behind them and turned to Peyton who, as she had guessed, looked outraged.

"What the..." she muttered, shaking her head, "he's sick."

"What," Brooke said with a sigh, "do you also want to smash his face in ?"

"Yeah," she said, sitting on the bed, "but I don't think I can do it alone. If I called Ted, though..."

"Are you crazy ?!" she exclaimed with horror. "If you do that he'll drive right away till here to strangle Dan himself !"

Peyton gave a faint smile that relieved Brooke, who realised she wasn't being serious. At least not entirely. "He'd definitely deserve it," Peyton said fretfully.

Brooke didn't add anything to that; Peyton was right. Just thinking of his hand brushing her thigh made her shudder. And that look he'd had...

She sighed, thinking of Nathan and the miserable state of mind he probably was in right now. Not to mention Lucas, who had gone at breakneck speed from an almost uncontrollable rage to a disconcerting inertia. She didn't get where that change came from; was it just because of what Nathan had told him about Dan ? Why was he so shocked by that ? Well, sure she could see why that news was disturbing to him, since Dan had never taken care of him, but there had been more than just dismay or surprise in Lucas, there had been something else... She might be wrong, but she had seen a kind of guilt in his eyes, though she couldn't see why he would feel guilty at all.

"If you're that worried about him", Peyton told her with a slight grin, "just go to him. I'll cover you if Whitey shows up."

"What, now ?" she asked, turning to her. "You heard him too, he wants to be alone..."

"That may be what he said, but from the look he gave you when we left, I'm pretty sure he wanted to be with you." she said on an encouraging tone.

 **Nathan Scott**

Exhausted, Nathan was sitting on the edge of his bed. The only thing that was preventing him from punching Dan in the face and shouting how ashamed he was to share his name, was that he knew Brooke would disapprove. Ah and there was another reason too, and a good one at that : the girl sitting next to him, her hand placed on his arm.

Nathan smiled at her, or at least tried to, and tilted his head to put it right above her collarbone. Haley let out a soft sigh and with her right hand, slowly stroked his cheek. He closed his eyes, and tried to imagine, as best as he could, a world where he wouldn't have been his father's son.

He should have been more careful... He was the one who had chosen Brooke, in all good conscience, precisely because he had known Dan would like her. But he had thought he would like her like a father can like his son's girlfriend, not like an old perv hitting on high school girls in bar, which he apparently now was. Nathan had been convinced that his father had the slightest bit of limits, and he had obviously been terribly wrong.

Another image then flashed in his mind, and he saw Lucas and Brooke standing together in that stairwell. They had only been talking, but it had seemed so obvious to him that they were together !And that with just the way they talked or looked at each other... How could they not see that it was a suicide mission ? Oh screw it, it wasn't like he could change their minds anyway ! And he didn't care at all about what happened to Lucas... Well, not really. His brother had indeed helped him a lot before the match, and way before that too... He didn't like to admit it, but he probably wouldn't have made it without Lucas.

 **Brooke Davis**

After a short moment of hesitation, that she spent pacing in circles in front of his door, Brooke finally knocked on it, after she had scrupulously checked that no one was in the corridor. The absence of answer didn't discourage her and she held out her hand, thinking that maybe the door wasn't locked.

When she felt the doorknob move, Brooke knew she had been right and entered the room. After a quick glance, she saw that he wasn't there and heard some noise coming from the bathroom on her right. An open faucet, if her hearing was correct.

"Luke ?"

She took a step towards the ajar door and peeked through the thin space separating them. Lucas was indeed there, bending over the sink, washing his face. She quickly noticed that he was shirtless and got a bit startled, having not expected him to have such a chiselled chest. Which, in the end, shouldn't have surprised her that much since even if he had drastically decreased his physical activities because of his heart condition, he had still played basket ball for a very, very long time.

What the hell was she thinking about now ? She hadn't come for that. From the tip of her fingers, she pushed the door to open it more widely; he leaned back and with a stretched out hand grabbed a towel.

"Aren't you supposed to be with Peyton ?" he asked her, sponging down his face.

"Yeah, but I thought maybe you..."

"That I what ?" he asked, sounding bothered.

He threw his towel on the side, looking troubled. It wasn't just his usual broody look, he really seemed different and Brooke wanted to know why, but not if that meant he would talk to her like that. Maybe Peyton had been wrong about him. "That you'd want to talk a bit."

"Thanks," he said, a crease appearing between his eyebrows, "but I'm fine. You should go to your room before somebody finds you here."

"What ?" she said, a little confused. She turned around and realised that she had left the bedroom door slightly open. "Shoot, I'm sorry, I'll close it if it's..."

"No Brooke," he cut her off with a sigh, "you should really go."

Brooke crossed her arms, eyes locked on Lucas, waiting for him to deign to look at her even once. Instead, he kept staring at the tiles on the floor as if a work of art that she couldn't see had been painted there.

She really had a hard time understanding him... So far, he had always openly talked to her and had even pushed her to confide in him. That only made his sudden change all the more frustrating to her. She had to tell him everything, but whenever something was wrong with him, he got to withdraw into his shell ?

"You know..." she said with a frown, doing her best not to sound too harsh. "I don't know what's your problem, but I can see it has to do with Dan. And maybe you forgot about it, but I also had an absentee parent for years. So if there's one person in this whole hotel who can get what you feel, even just a little, I think it's me !"

She took two steps back, disappointed that she had been wrong, turned around and put a hand on the doorknob. Before she could further open the door and leave, a hand that did not belong to her swiftly passed over her shoulder, right next to her head and slammed the door shut. She got even more surprised when a second hand circled her and landed near her navel, and when she heard a quiet whisper to her ear asking her not to leave.

That, was probably the version Peyton had seen earlier.

"Are you sure ?"

He pulled her back to him. "I'm sorry," he told her in an apologetic tone, "I tend to shut myself away when..."

"Yeah," she quietly said, "I get that." Brooke spun to face him, and realised she was so close to him that she had to lift up her head to look at him. "Luke, I..."

He took her by surprise again, this time with an intense kiss; slowly and gently he pushed her back against the door, his hands wandering on her back, to her neck, then to her hair... Brooke got a little overwhelmed, her knees weakening rapidly, when he let her catch her breath, panting himself. His face stayed glued to hers as he covered her with light kisses on her forehead, near her eyes, on her cheeks... She felt like he was trying to apologize with each one of them.

"I swear I'm not going anywhere," she said with a chuckle.

Lucas stopped, carefully watching her; his eyes went down to her feet, then slowly travelled up to her face. "I didn't get a chance to tell you... You look great in this dress," he said with a boyish grin that didn't last long. "How's your shoulder ?"

She hadn't thought of it for a while now, but now that he talked about it, she felt as if she had fallen on a hundred nails. "Not great," she admitted, mechanically rubbing it.

"Wait..." he murmured, turning back.

He went to the end of the room, to a travel bag that was resting against the wall. While she was stepping towards him, he knelt down and opened a side pocket, taking a first-aid kit out of it.

"It's just basic stuff for the players," he said, rummaging through it, "but I think I've got something for... Ah", he said, showing her a tiny pot with a golden top, "there it is, it's a good ointment. Take off your..." He stopped in his tracks and looked up at her, embarrassment growing on his face. "Just apply it before you go to bed," he said, holding it out to her.

She thanked him in a murmur and took the ointment from his hand, while Lucas was still crouching down to put away the kit. But instead of getting up, he sat there, leaning on the wall behind him, watching her with care, a crease rapidly appearing on his forehead.

"I hope he'll get a real shiner," he murmured with a grim look. "I can't wait to see what excuse he'll give when people ask him what happened..." Brooke gave him a slight smile, knowing that he would get away with it easily. "Have I told you that he was never there ?" he asked her with a calm tone.

"Erm, yeah, kind of." she answered. "Nathan told me too."

"Ah, right," he said, lowering his eyes.

Why did he sound annoyed again, even if it lasted just a second ? "I heard that he never really talked to you. Ever since the divorce ?" she asked, trying to get him to talk.

"Yeah, not since he left my mother," Lucas said with a shrug. "Tonight was very special," he added with a snort. "I never really existed for him, well, that's what I used to think anyway. But..." He didn't finish his sentence, losing himself in his thoughts for a few seconds, and when he looked up at Brooke, she saw with surprise animosity on his face. "I hate him Brooke." he told her with a firm, unquavering voice. "I hate him for what he did to my mom, to me, and... Now to you." he said with obvious disgust. "But when Nathan told me that he got me hired, I... I thought it was the first time he's helped me. And for a second, I liked that idea."

His hands clenched into fists, and his eyes drifted to his feet. So she had been right, when she had noticed guilt in his eyes earlier. How could she cheer him up, when he looked so disgusted with himself ? "That's just you being human," she said with a soft sigh.

"I don't think so."

"Well, I think I'd feel pretty much the same... I mean, I know things are different for you, but when my mother came back and when we talked... It relieved me. Even if, of course, I won't forget all these years she spent away from me, when she told me about her I was relieved to know that even after everything that had happened, she still thought of me as her daughter."

She held back a smile when she noticed that his disgruntled look had dissolved a bit. "I'm sorry," he eventually said, hesitantly.

"Don't be." Brooke said, her head cocked to the side. "But if you want to know more about Dan hiring you, you should ask Nathan. He probably won't say a thing at first but if you insist, I know he'll spit it out."

"You really know him well, don't you ?"

"I was with him for two years," she said with a shrug. "Even if we were faking everything, the time we spent together was very real."

"Speaking of," he said, straightening his back, "nothing happened with him ?"

"No, why ?" she asked with a confused frown.

"Nothing ?" he repeated. "In two years, nothing at all ?"

"I'm telling you, nothing happened," she said a little impatiently. "We kissed several times, only in public. And we _never_ went farther than that," she added with a frown.

"Ah," he said, apparently reassured.

"What, you think I lied to you ?"

"No," he immediately added, "but it would feel weird to, erm... I mean, you know," he said with embarrassment, making her smile, "he's my brother and if you had done things with him..."

"What about you ? When was your last conquest ?"

Brooke remembered the answer to that the moment she had finished asking the question. How could she forget Lindsay, who had turned up without any notice from New York to make a move on him ? "Erm..." he said, suddenly hesitant. "We shouldn't talk about this."

"Why ? I thought it was Lindsay ?"

"Ah, yes," he said raising his eyebrows, "you're right it was her." Well, apparently the night they had spent together had not marked him.

"Was there someone after her ?" she asked, bothered by his odd reaction.

"Well, um..." he said with shifty eyes, looking for a way out. "No one but you", he eventually said with a charming smile.

Ha ! Like that could work on her ! "So what, before her ? When you were travelling ?"

"It's just that," he said with a lot of reluctance, "I had no ties to anyone last year, so..."

"Oh." Oh. No ties at all for a whole year. "Okay," she said, trying to sound detached.

"But I didn't get with that many either," he promptly added.

"Yeah, sure," she murmured, a lump in her throat getting bigger by the second.

Lucas sprung on his feet and quickly walked over to her, kneeling down in front of her to stand on the same eye-level. "But that was different," he said, staring at her. "I don't know how to explain it but..."

"You don't ?" she retorted, cut to the quick. "Sounds pretty simple to me, you were 21, walking around the world with just a backpack and raging hormones."

"Brooke..." he sighed, rolling his eyes.

Maybe it wasn't a big deal to him, but it was to her. She blushed, realising that she hadn't thought of that aspect of their relationship, which, just two days ago, had still been just a fantasy to her. Their age difference, though minimal to her, was a great matter in that... The last time she had been intimate with someone, was more than two years ago. After that, nothing. After how many women was she supposed to compete for him ? What if he compared them to...

"There's a reason why I came back here," he calmly told her, breaking her thoughts. "This trip wasn't bringing me anything, I needed much more... I needed you," he added with a lopsided grin.

Refusing to show she was touched by his words, Brooke stubbornly crossed her arms and fixed her eyes on the wall behind him. "Oh come on... Don't pout for that," he murmured with a chuckle. "You look really cute when you pout."

Placing his hands on the bed, on each of her side, he leaned over and planted a soft kiss on her neck, and slowly, very slowly went up behind her ear. Brooke closed her eyes, letting out a quiet moan that seemed to please him.

When they heard three knocks on the door, Lucas stiffened and broke away from her. She opened her eyes wide, a surge of panic rushing to her brain ,and got even more frightened when she recognised the voice who, from the hall, was asking Lucas to open the door.

"Coach ?" Lucas murmured, startled.

Brooke opened her mouth but before she could say anything, he pressed his hand on her mouth, making a sign for her to keep quiet. He turned his head to his right, staring at the door, then back at her, this time gesturing her to get under the bed. She didn't hesitate a second and obeyed, just as Lucas was standing up and claiming in a loud voice that he was coming.

After she had crawled on the floor, Brooke found herself under the bed and could only see ten centimetres above the ground.

She heard the door open. "Coach, why are you..."

"I thought you'd need this," he cut him off.

Lucas emitted a laugh halfway between embarrassment and amusement, and when Whitey asked him if he could come him, he reluctantly accepted. Brooke sighed inwardly; this little meeting better not linger on.

She heard a cork popping sound and quickly figured that he had brought a bottle. Lucas told him to sit on the bed, which Whitey did, since the mattress suddenly went down, dangerously grazing her scalp. A glass clinking noise later, Lucas spoke again.

"To this crazy night."

She heard him sip, and felt the coach shift above her. "I got Dan back in his room." he muttered.

"Ah," Lucas said, lowering his voice.

Great job, Coach. She had just managed to change his mind ! "What happened exactly ? Is it true what they're saying, Dan made a move on Davis ?"

"Yeah," Lucas said with a sigh.

"You shouldn't have done that. I would have done the same, but..."

"I know I can't hit him," he cut him off, "but I really wanted to. Maybe he won't remember what happened," he added on a half-amused tone.

"Oh he'll remember everything. And you need to be careful around him, who knows what he could do to you ?"

"I know," Lucas answered, flustered. "Dan... How was he ? When he was with my mom... You've known them together, right ?"

"I sure did. The most popular couple in high school," Whitey said with nostalgia. "Even after they graduated, your mother kept in touch with me. And Dan... He's always been like that. Hot-blooded, with odd morals. One thing is sure," he added after a short silence, "he was truly in love with your mother, at least during high school. When she got pregnant with you, I used to go to their house, see how she was doing... He was never there."

So they had known each other for that long ? Which wasn't surprising at all, since it was quite famous that the Coach had been in Tree Hill for several decades, but Brooke had never imagined he was this close to Karen. "Where was he ?"

"Karen would always say he had a lot of work at college. After you were born... It only got worse. But she probably already told you this, didn't she ?"

"Not really, no. She never went into details, and I never really asked her anyway, I know she doesn't keep great memories from that time."

"Oh," Whitey said, apparently not surprised. "Anyway, after four years, Dan got his diploma and a job in his father's company."

"That's where he met Deb."

"Yeah. How old were you, three ?"

"Four." Lucas corrected. He poured another drink, though she couldn't say if it was for him or for Whitey. "She cried for days..." he murmured coldly. "And then all of a sudden, she went back to work as if nothing happened. I think she didn't want me to get too confused."

"She always put you first," Coach told him, probably with a smile. "She's impressive. Camilla..." he stopped for a short moment. Who was Camilla ? "Camilla loved her very much."

"I know," Lucas said softly, "she told me about it."

"It'll be twenty years this October." he added, emotion filling his voice.

Who were they talking about, and most importantly, why did Whitey sound so sentimental all of a sudden ? She wasn't used to hearing him like that. "You're really impressive, you know," Lucas seemed to admit. "Even after all this time, you're still attached to her so much... I think it's beautiful."

"Why don't you write a book about me, then ?" Coach joked, making them both laugh, as Brooke finally realised that Camilla was his deceased wife. "About that, when will I finally read your new book ?"

"Not anytime soon," he said, hesitating. "Probably not before a few months."

"I thought you were done with the writing part ?" Whitey asked, puzzled.

"Yeah, but I'd rather wait before I publish it."

"Ah..." he said, perplex. "So what is it about ?"

"Erm... Do you remember the first time I went to your office when I came back, when we talked about what I needed to get inspiration ?"

"I remember you had a good laugh."

"Turns out you were right, for a change."

"I'm not surprised," the old man exclaimed with a loud laugh. "So, who's the lucky girl ?"

"Oh, erm..." he said, embarrassed, "I swear I'll introduce her someday, but not right now. It's, erm... a little too early for that."

"Fine, but you'd better keep you word ! I'm glad for you... I still remember my first meeting with Camilla, every details of it. We were seventeen and..."

Brooke stopped listening, not because she wasn't interested in that story, but because she considered that she had done enough spying for the day. And as they kept talking, her eyelids became rapidly heavy, her neck stiffened; she rested her chin over her arms crossed on the floor and closed her eyes an instant, doing her best to stay as still as she could.

She jumped from slumber when she heard a door slam; confused, she first wondered what she was doing there, lying on the floor, and before she could remember everything that had happened, the bottom part of the bed covers that was hanging in front of her eyes lifted and she saw Lucas kneeling down.

"You can come out now," he told her with tired eyes.

In a slow and tired motion, she crawled herself from under the bed and got up with Lucas' help; without him, she would have probably collapsed on the ground. "What time is it ?" she asked him, her eyes half-closed.

"Nearly four." He grunted, and slumped back on the bed. "I tried my best to make him leave," he said with an apologetic look.

"I know," she replied with a shrug, "it's okay." What really was bothering her right now was the severe back pain she was feeling. "I thought I was gonna suffocate down there."

"You should get some sleep," he told her with a soft smile.

"Can I stay here ?" she asked, convinced that she could never get back to her room even if she wanted to.

His lips stretched out a little more, and he held out an arm to pull her next to him.

 **Peyton Sawyer**

The rear-view was showing her that Brooke, on the back seats, was sleeping as peacefully as when they had left the hotel, following the school bus. Peyton strongly wished for Brooke to wake up before they arrived, fearing that otherwise she would spend the entire afternoon and probably even the evening slouched in her car. She had come back to their room early this morning, at seven, an hour before the rest of their classmates woke up. She had briefly summarised what had happened to her and had dashed to the shower. They'd had just the time for a quick breakfast, and had then all climbed on the bus bringing them home, apart from Brooke, Haley, and her.

Peyton darted a quick glance at her co-pilot, who was thoughtfully gazing at the road, her mind obviously gone elsewhere. What was she thinking about ? What she had seen in that staircase last night ? And what exactly had she seen ? Brooke and Lucas had been close, but what conclusions could Haley draw from that ?

Except that she couldn't forget that Haley was dating Nathan, who could have told her the truth... And she had seen the surprised look on Haley's face, they had been holding hands for crying out loud ! And Haley wasn't really dim-witted, she had probably done the maths already... Well, Brooke probably didn't need to worry about her, she seemed pretty trustworthy, but...

"Is everything okay ? You look troubled," Haley observed.

Very perceptive, indeed. "Yeah, I'm fine, it's just that... Nothing," she said, shaking her head, "it's nothing."

"Is it about Brooke ? Or Nathan ?"

"Actually, it's both of them," she admitted with a resigned smile. "Plus a third party."

"Look... I don't know what's going between Brooke and mist – Nathan's brother, I mean I have an idea, but... I won't ask anything, and I won't say anything."

"Good," Peyton said on a firm tone that was supposed to make her realise that she'd better not let it slip out. She had had enough problems with that already. Which made her wonder, where had Julian spent the night ? She hadn't seen him at all since the match. Was he avoiding her now ? She shot a side glance at Haley, wondering if she could help her... She spent a lot of time with Mouth, who spent a lot of time with Julian. "Have you known Julian for long ?" she asked her as detachedly as she could.

"No..." she said after a short moment. "I met him when he met Mouth, about two years ago. Why ?"

"It's just that," she said, lost, "I just noticed that I don't know him that well."

"I don't either, you know," she remarked. "He's the kind of people you laugh with everyday but honestly, I can't even tell you where he lives."

Peyton frowned, and realised that she couldn't either, despite the fact that he had come numerous times to her place. How had she not noticed till now that he never talked about himself ? And the rare times he did, he'd always change the subject. "Actually, I can't either..." she murmured, puzzled.

She wasn't just intrigued, she was first and foremost frustrated to see just now that he had intruded into her life without her permission, without giving her anything in return.

"How about asking him directly ?" Haley said with a lopsided grin.

 **Lucas Scott**

After he climbed out of the bus that was now parked on the school ground, Lucas patiently waited for his turn to get his bag from the hold. His exhaustion had diminished without completely disappearing, and that was probably why he looked around him, searching for Brooke. It took him five long seconds to remember that she was coming back with her friend's car and was thus not in the student group that was surrounding him and quickly scattering everywhere. Brooke was probably already home, or staying with Peyton.

He hadn't just slept during the whole trip back, he had also done a lot of thinking and had managed to come to a conclusion. Yes, their decision to get together before graduation was definitely not the smartest move they could have made, as Nathan had brilliantly pointed out, but he was ready to deal with the consequences. All they had to do, was keep a low-profile for the next six weeks, which wasn't that complicated, at least not on paper.

However, there was one big detail bothering him in this plan : Brooke's parents, and particularly her father. He would skin him alive when he'd know the truth, that was unfortunately doomed to happen. But he would skin him even more in a month than now. Which left him with one more thing to do... He knew Brooke would never agree with him. He could already hear her begging him not to say a word. But Lucas was convinced that he owed Ted at least that much, even if it was suicidal of him. After all, he had trusted him and let him spend more time with his daughter, so the least he could do was to be honest with him, wasn't it ?

Maybe if luck was on his side, he would even manage to convince him.

 **Brooke Davis**

"Yeah ?" she asked in a half-asleep voice. She hadn't even bothered to check her phone screen to see who was calling her.

"Are you home right now?"

"Yeah," she said, rolling on her back.

The first thing she had done when she'd gotten home was lying on her couch. Her bag was still hanging around the entrance and Brooke knew her mother's scolding was imminent, but she didn't move an inch, much more interested in what Lucas had to tell her. And maybe her mother would leave to the airport without even noticing her bag.

"Are you ?"

"I'm on my way. How tired are you ?"

"Not enough to fall asleep," she said, playing with her bangs, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. "But enough that I don't want to get up from my couch. Erm... Is it okay if we meet now ?"

She furrowed her brow when she heard him laugh. "You think I'll say no ?"

"Well, we said we should be careful, so..."

"Actually," he said on a more serious tone, "I want to see you too."

"Oh," she said with a grin, "great, so can we meet up at the Café ?"

"No need to, I'm on my way."

"On your way..." she repeated, puzzled. "To where ?"

"Your house."

Brooke slowly sat back, discomfited. "Why are you coming to my place ? Lucas ? Why..."

For some reason, he sounded nervous. "I wanna talk to your father."

"Ah," she said, glancing at the corridor, "you're lucky, he hasn't left yet. He's driving my mother to the airport. But what do you want to talk about ?"

"I... I want to tell him."

When she realised, after a few seconds, what he meant by that, she forgot to breathe for a long second, and wondered if she hadn't misheard him. She must have, there was no way... "What ?"

"I know," he quickly said, "it's a bad idea..."

"If you know that, why would you want to tell him anything ?!"

"Wouldn't you be uncomfortable, lying to him all the time ?"

"Of course I would," she said in a low, impatient voice, "but he doesn't have to know, not now ! It's..." she stopped, thinking about what he was saying. "Ah, I get it. You realised you made a huge mistake and it's the only way you found to put an end to it," she said, her voice quavering. "Look, if you want to get rid of me, just say so and..."

"Brooke, what are you talking about," he cut her off with a sigh. "It's the very opposite of that, that's why I want... No, that's why I _need_ to talk to your father."

"Please Lucas," she begged him, her voice now just a whisper, afraid her parents would hear her if she started screaming, which was really what she was dying to do right now, "don't do this, it's crazy, and you won't get away alive from this, I'm not even kidding..."

"I know, but I'm sure gonna try to convince him that..."

"He won't listen to you ! Can't you see that," she urgently told him, "he won't..."

"I've already made up my mind, Brooke," he simply told her.

"And I don't have a say in this ?" she retorted, indignant. "This involves me, as much as it does you !"

"You didn't hesitate to tell Nathan..."

"Because I knew he wouldn't tell anyone ! And Nathan can't forbid us to see each other, but my father, he definitely can do that ! And he will ! Lucas," she said, trying to calm down, "I'm serious here, I'm using my veto. Don't come here..."

"Too late for that," he breathed out.

"What do you mean, too..."

The doorbell rang.

Brooke opened her eyes wide, sprung up on her feet and jumped over the back of the couch, almost getting a concussion in the process. She got up from the floor, staggering a bit, and ran to the door.

When she saw that her father had already one hand on the doorknob, she held back a cry, staring at him as he opened the door.

 **Peyton Sawyer**

Peyton sighed, turning off her radio. What she had just done and was about to do was definitely not her style.

She had just spent the last thirty minutes reading her phone book, searching for Julian's address. The problem was, there was seven Norris families in the small town that Tree Hill was. Seven. Why did he have such a common name ?

She had first ruled out the one Norris living in her neighbourhood, for even if she didn't know where he lived, she was certain that they weren't neighbours.

Which had left her with six names, and five to rule out. Since she had started, she had already taken down three names. The first one had been an elderly lady who had told her that she didn't know any Julian, but could ask her husband. Peyton had smiled and politely answered that she didn't have to, and she was sorry for the bother. Unless Julian lived with his grandmother who happened to suffer from Alzheimer's, she was pretty sure he wouldn't be in that house.

The second house hadn't even answered. And the third had been occupied by a young couple who had never heard of a Julian whatsoever.

She had three more houses to check and with every minute passing, she thought that maybe he wasn't even in the phone book. Or maybe he was really living with his amnesic grandma.

Why was she even doing this now ? She could wait for tomorrow to ask him in class, couldn't she ?

Well, no. She just couldn't. She had to see him, and she had to now.

When she climbed out of her car and walked to the penultimate house, she saw that she had finally reached the right one. Julian was sitting under his porch, busy with his laptop. He was probably keeping up with the movie editing, but why was he doing it outside ?

It wasn't too late, he hadn't noticed her so she could still turn back before she regretted... Regretted what ? What was she so scared of anyway ? To discover that he wasn't the monster she had convinced herself he was ?

Landing a foot on the lawn, she noticed that he had still not seen her, too absorbed in his work. Peyton frowned when she heard shouts coming from the house behind him. Hysteric shouts. She couldn't really tell what they were saying, but none of that sounded very joyful.

When Julian finally saw her, his eyes opened wide in surprise, his earphones slowly falling from his ears. With his right hand, he shut his computer half-way, then took a quick look over his shoulder, to the front door behind him, and looked back at her with dismay.

He was about to stand up, but stopped when she sat next to him.

"How did you find me ?"

"Oh, I..." she said, looking for a plausible explanation that wouldn't sound too desperate. "I asked Mouth." Mouth ! Why hadn't she thought about it sooner ?

"Ah," he said, raising his eyebrows. "But... Why ? Last time I checked, you didn't want to see me... I don't get it."

"I don't either," she admitted with a shrug.

She jumped and turned around when she heard the sound of glass breaking. "Don't worry, they're fine," he told her bitterly. "It's actually a good sign, it's probably gonna end soon."

"Does... it happen often ?" she asked hesitantly.

"Depends on what you mean by often. But it's alright," he added when he saw her discomfited face, "it's not like anyone dies." Peyton noticed that his suitcase was standing behind him; had he been waiting there for so long ? Julian followed her gaze, and simply shrugged, "The more they're interrupted, the longer it lasts."

She let out a quiet sigh and stood up, turning to him. "Are you coming ?"

"Where ?" he asked, confused.

"To my place."

He stared at her for a while, apparently astounded. "Thanks, but I don't accept charity..."

"Let me insist," she said, holding out her hand to him.

It wasn't pity she was feeling right now. Indignation, yes. Compassion too. And also...

He shrugged, but still took her hand and got up.

 **Brooke Davis**

Her eyes nervously landed on her father, sitting on an armchair in front of her, then on Victoria who was standing behind him, a glass of water in her hand. She had offered one to Lucas but he had declined, stating that he wasn't thirsty, and had since been sitting next to her on the couch.

No wonder he wasn't thirsty. He was probably on the verge of pissing himself right now, and he had it coming.

"So, what did you want to tell us ?"

There it was, the fatal question. It was over now, he had nowhere to run. "Erm... It's not easy to say," Lucas said with hesitation. "It's about Brooke."

"I guessed that," Ted answered with a smile.

Victoria gave Lucas a strange look, then to her daughter and slightly frowned, as if she was troubled. "Well," Lucas said, "you probably remember that talk we had when you gave us permission to keep up with our private lessons ?"

"Sure," he said, his eyes drifting to his daughter. "Are you okay, Brooke ? You're awful pale."

"I'm fine," she murmured, looking at her feet.

"Erm, yes, so," Lucas said, "I told you these meetings would stay strictly professional."

"What are you trying to say ?"

He knew something was off. Brooke shook her head, and turned to Lucas, "Don't say I didn't warn you..." she whispered with a severe look.

Lucas gave her a quick look, then turned to Ted, "What I'm trying to say, is that over time, I fell in love with your daughter."

In different circumstances, Brooke would have been thrilled to hear that. Instead, she closed her eyes, afraid to see her father's face right now. "What ?" she heard him mutter, dumbstruck.

"Oh, no..." Victoria murmured, horrified.

"Brooke," Ted said with a nervous chuckle, "what is he saying ? You're losing your mind..."

"No," she murmured. She summoned all the courage she had and opened her eyes, "It's..." she said, wishing she was just in the middle of a bad dream, "it's true."

Ted opened his mouth, but stayed silent. He looked surprised and furious at the same time, his eyes travelling back and forth between Brooke and Lucas, until they were stuck on the latter. "I thought I could trust you," he told him in a slow, icy voice that seemed to scare even his wife.

"And you can," he quickly said, "that's exactly why I came here."

"Are you kidding me ? Do you seriously think that if you tell me you're after my daughter, I would let you spend just one more second with her ?"

"I told you, it's a losing battle," Brooke sighed with a wounded look at Lucas.

"Wait," Ted told her, confused, "how long have you known about this ?"

"Erm... Two days." Two days. Geez, she hadn't even had the time to think about it, but it had only been two days.

"You should have told me the minute you knew !"

Brooke didn't immediately understand why he was telling her that instead of yelling at her for being so reckless. And then she realised that he hadn't fully grasped what was going on, that he didn't think their attraction could be mutual. Let alone that they had decided to date.

"Honey," Victoria said on a surprisingly calm tone, "I think that..."

"That what ?"

She didn't let her mother answer for her, and instead slid her hand in Lucas', who immediately strongly squeezed it, clinging to her as to a lifebelt. He apparently hadn't realised that a lifebelt here was of no use; they were definitely going to drown.

Her father, who finally had all the remaining pieces of the puzzle seemed to assemble them together, since every ounce of surprise that had so far lingered on his face disappeared to only leave room for fury.

"Get up," he told Lucas.

"Dad, can you just listen to what..."

"No," he cut her off without looking at her, "he's going to get up and get the hell out of here before I call the police."

"Sir," Lucas said, frowning, "I'm not going to hurt..."

"Go," Brooke told him in a hushed tone, "I'll handle him."

He turned to her, his face filled with worry. "But I..."

"Hurry !" she cried, shooting a side glance at her father.

He hesitated, but when he saw Ted's threatening look, he quickly obeyed. She heard the door slam as he left and sighed, her head dropping in her hands.

And now she had to deal with the consequences. Well played, Lucas.

"What were you thinking, Brooke ?" her mother asked her with a sigh, stepping towards her.

Brooke raised her head, and noticed that, oddly enough, her mother didn't seem surprised at all, but simply... distraught. "I didn't plan anything, and neither did he... It just happened."

"Just happened ?" Ted repeated, squinting at her. "JUST HAPPENED ?"

Both women jumped at his loud voice. "Erm... Yeah." she said warily.

"You do realise he's your teacher ?!"

"For six more weeks, and then..."

"So ? You think that's a good reason to be this reckless ? And do you realise that he's almost twenty-five ?! You're eighteen ! Eighteen, Brooke !"

"He's gonna be twenty-two, dad," she corrected, doing her best not to roll her eyes and anger him any further. "You're five years older than mom."

"That's completely different !" he shouted, raising his voice again. "I wasn't her teacher when I met her !"

"You could have been !"

"I wasn't ! You're too young to see that..."

She emitted a small, sarcastic laugh that startled her father, and seemed to increase her mother's anxiety. "Too young ? Dad, I can think for myself, and you know that."

"Well apparently you can't, since when we're not around you start acting like a maniac... And Nathan ? What does he say about this ?"

"That's none of your business," she curtly told him, annoyance rising in her. "I can do whatever I want with my private life and if..."

"ENOUGH !" He sprung on his feet, as if it added weight to his words. "You better not see him again !"

"Dad, he's my teacher !" she replied, getting up too. "Of course I'll see him again !"

"And that's it ! You'll see him in class, period ! Nothing else, do I make myself clear ?"

"I'm not..."

"As long as you live under this roof, you will obey me," he said, his face turning red now, "and I will never, ever, allow you to go out with your teacher !"

"But he's not just a teacher, he's..." she said, not finding the words to explain it to him without increasing his anger. "He's Lucas."

"Jesus, he completely brainwashed you ! If your school finds out that..."

"We're not stupid, we know we have to be careful."

"You have to be to have made such a decision !"

Father and daughter blankly stared at each other for a few seconds. Then, he squinted again and suddenly strode to the hall, leaving Brooke and her mother confused.

Where was he going ?

She heard him climb the stairs and decided to follow him, her mother close behind. When she arrived to her room, she got horrified to see that he was there and had taken hold of her laptop.

"What are you doing ?" she cried, stepping in the room.

She grabbed her computer, but he yanked it back from her. Brooke shuddered; she had never seen her father this angry before. "You are not contacting him. Give me your phone."

"What ?" she said, taken aback. "No, I'm not gonna.."

"Brooke, give it to me, now ! If you don't, I'll just cancel your contract !"

She bit her lower lip, her brain working fast to find a way out, but she knew she couldn't find one as long as her father had not calmed down.

She took it from her jeans and handed it to him with unconcealed reluctance. "And now, what ?" she asked him, crossing her arms. "Am I grounded ?"

"Exactly," he told her, this time without yelling. "And from now on, you'll come home right after school."

Brooke held up his gaze, her lips shaking. "What about the Café ?"

"You can say farewell to that. No more job, no more private lessons ! I've given you way too much freedom, I'm not making that mistake again."

 **Nathan Scott**

Standing in front of his door, Nathan hesitated to enter. He had already postpone the unavoidable moment when he would have to face his father again by staying more than two hours at Haley's, but he couldn't postpone it for ever, could he ?

When he crossed the door, he called out to his mother. No answer. Weird, he could clearly remember that she had told him the Café was closed today and that she was staying home all day long. Unless she had had some paper business to deal with and had met with Karen...

He went up to his room to get rid of his bag and quickly went down the stairs, with the intention to make a sandwich to calm down his hunger.

Nathan opened the kitchen door and froze when he saw his mother three meters in front of him, a radiant smile on her lips.

"Congratulations !" she exclaimed, and he saw that she was standing under a large banner that was reading the same word.

She burst into laughter when she saw that she had managed to surprise him, and quickly walked over to hug him. "I'm so proud of you," she said before pecking his cheek. "Come on, sit down, I've cooked your favourite meals."

"Good, I'm starving to death," he answered with a chuckle.

She sat across him and quickly asked him to tell her how his weekend had gone, with details. "You should have invited Haley," she told him in a reproach, when he was done telling his story.

"Her parents wanted her too."

"And Brooke, how is she ?"

"Fine... Great. Where's dad ?"

"Not here," she said, her eyes darkening. "He called this morning. Said he would spend a few more days in Charlotte."

"How many days ?"

"I have no idea," she said with a shrug, "you know him..."

"Yeah, precisely," he breathed out. "Mom," he said, putting down his fork, "what are you gonna do now ?"

"What are you talking about ?"

"What do you think ? In a few months, I won't be there anymore," he said with a sigh, "and you'll have to put up with him on your own."

"I know that," she said, leaning on her chair. "Lately, that's all I think about."

"And ?"

"And that's it," she said with a frown. "What can I do, he's like that, I can't change him. No one can."

"Oh, mom..." he said, exasperated. "Why can't you leave him ?"

"Am I dreaming, or are you reproaching me for staying ?" she asked in a sad voice.

No, she wasn't dreaming. All his life, he had desperately waited for the day his mother would finally get the hell out of this house and take him with her. But instead, for some reason, she had stubbornly stayed with a man who didn't care for her at all.

"I know you're disappointed, Nate, and I should have acted a long time ago, but..."

"But you let him do whatever he wanted to," he told her in a bitter tone, "and now look what he's done."

Deborah frowned, probably confused as to why her son was getting worked up.

He had first decided not to tell her, but if it could talk her into leaving that jerk, then...

"He made a move on Brooke."

"What ? Who ?"

"Dad," he said with a sigh. "After the match, he was drunk and screwed up. Again."

"Is that... Are you kidding ?"

"I wish I was."

She stayed silent for a while, visibly shocked. "And... Brooke," she managed to murmur, "how is she ?"

"Fine. She was shaken, but she's fine."

"I can't believe this..." she said, her elbows on the table. "Who saw him ?"

"Hitting on Brooke ? No one, I think, but everyone saw him when he got into a fight with Lucas."

"He did what ?!"

"Yeah," he said, shaking his head. "Lucas tried to stop him but Dan managed to provoke him, so Lucas hit him..."

"Did Dan also..."

"Whitey stopped him before he could do anything."

"Oh, God," she murmured, her head resting on a hand. "No wonder he's not coming home tonight," she said with a snort.

She seemed to contemplate the wall beside them for a long time, and Nathan hesitated before pulling her from her thoughts. "Mom... You have to do something, you can't go on like that. I've seen you be miserable for eighteen years, and I'm tired of it."

"Do you want me to get a divorce ?" she asked, turning to him.

"It doesn't matter what I think," he bluntly replied, "or what Dan wants. What matters is what you want. If you want to divorce, then do it. If you want to stay with him," he said a little reluctantly, "then do it."

 **Peyton Sawyer**

She heard Julian close the door behind him. "Leave your stuff here." Peyton took a few steps toward her kitchen, and stopped when she realised he wasn't following her. She spun around to face him, raising an eyebrow. "What are you waiting for ?"

He looked taken aback, but followed her anyway to the kitchen. "What do you want to eat ? I don't have much," she said, opening a cupboard above her, "I was supposed to go to the grocery..."

"Peyton ?"

She turned to him; he was leaning against a chair, staring at her with a perplex face. "What ?"

"What are you doing ?"

Peyton slowly closed the cupboard she had been looking into and leaned on the countertop behind her. "I'm trying to get us some food. Any help is welcome, by the way."

"No," he murmured, taking a step towards her. "I'm asking what you're doing with me."

"With... With you ?" she repeated, slightly blushing. "I'm just trying to be nice to you."

"And why would you do that ?"

She frowned when she noticed how close to her he was. "What do you mean, why..."

"You're supposed to be mad at me. Does that mean I'm forgiven ?"

"Forgiven, that's... That's a big word," she said, nervous. "But I'm no longer mad at you," she added, her brow furrowed. "So, what do you want ?"

"And why did you come to my house ?" he asked, ignoring her question.

"I..." she said, looking away. "I was just in the neighbourhood."

Why couldn't she be honest with him ? It wasn't that complicated. She liked him, obviously, and he liked her too, so why had she trouble looking him in the eye ? "I just... Wanted to know more."

"More on what ?"

"You" she admitted awkwardly. "Because I don't know much about you, whereas you know a great deal about me."

She looked up and saw that he was now standing right in front of her, his eyes locked onto hers. Her legs were numbed, unable to move. Or, she simply didn't want to move.

Julian leaned over her and gave her a tender kiss, his hand holding up her chin. It was far from being the first kiss she received, but that electric discharge that travelled in her body, she was most certain that she had never felt it before.

He took a step back and raised his arm above her head, opening the cupboard.

"I feel like eating pasta," he told her with a lopsided grin.

 **Brooke Davis**

Her right hand clasped the brake; she got down from her bicycle, and hurriedly put it in one of the designated slots.

She still couldn't believe she had come to school, riding her bicycle. Now that her father wanted her home right after school, she had no other choice, especially since Peyton sometimes stayed back in school with her acting troupe and thus couldn't drop her off right away. Ten minutes. Her father had given her ten minutes to get home.

After hanging her bike lock, Brooke walked to the main hall. Peyton was already waiting for her at her locker, hopping up and down with impatience.

"Since when do you not answer my texts ?" she asked her once she had walked up to her.

"Since my father seized my phone," she answered with resentment.

"What ? Why did he do that ?"

Half an hour later, while their class had already started for twenty good minutes and they were supposed to listen to their teacher, Brooke was just finishing to tell her what had happened.

"Wow," Peyton whispered, stunned. "Sounds like he's really pissed."

"I've never seen him like that."

"Lucas probably texted you a billion times."

She had thought about it too and strongly hoped that he had spent his night worrying himself sick. "So, what about you ? What is it you wanted to tell me so badly ?"

"Erm... Julian ate at my place yesterday."

"Oh," she said, pleasantly surprised, "does that mean you're finally talking to him ?"

"Yeah. Ah, and he kissed me."

"NO !" she exclaimed, her eyes almost popping out.

"Miss Davis," their teacher said, "would you like to share what surprises you this much ?"

"Erm, no sir, I'm sorry," she docilely said with an apologetic look.

After a disapproving glance at her, he went back to his class, and Brooke wrote on the corner of her paper : _please, tell me you didn't bury him in your garden._

When she read that sentence, Peyton stifled a laugh and shook her head. Brooke's grin widened; it turned out her day wasn't that bad.

And then she remembered their next class would be with Lucas, as Peyton reminded her a few minutes later.

When she walked into the room, she neatly avoided to look at him and kept staring at her paper during the whole hour. Lucky for her, the fact that they had to silently work on a question sheet for an hour helped her a lot in her task.

She had set to work for twenty minutes when she noticed he was slowly walking around the room. When he walked past her, she didn't bother to look up at him, but saw a tiny paper ball land in her case. She frowned, staring at his surprise gift, and decided not to touch it.

Decision that barely lasted ten seconds, for Peyton hastened to get hold of the paper and unfolded it with an amused grin. She then slid it in front of her best friend, forcing her to read it.

 _Can we meet after class ?_

Ha ! Question mark ? So now, she had a choice ? How nice of him, at least that meant he could learn from his mistakes.

Brooke's head shot up and when she made eye contact with him, did not feel an ounce of remorse when she quickly shook her head with a dirty look.

He sighed, leaned on his desk and crossed his arms, probably expressing discontent, but she couldn't care less. Then, to her surprise, he cleared his throat and said in a loud, professorial voice : "Brooke, can I see you after class ?"

Which was, obviously, completely rhetorical. "What an ass," she whispered when she saw his satisfied look, "that's an abuse of power."

"He's good," Peyton said, apparently enjoying the situation.

So when their class ended, after every student had dropped their paper on his desk, Brooke stayed back in the room, with a gloomy face. When the last one left, Lucas closed the door, while she kept staring at the table in front of her.

"I know you're mad at me," he told her in a low voice.

No kidding.

"Brooke, would you please look at me ?"

She stayed still, waiting for the right moment to leave. She frowned when she heard footsteps coming in her way. "Fine, you have every reason to be mad at me, but I did this for us."

Ha, us ? He still didn't get that with his stupid move, there was no possibility of a "us".

"Brooke ?"

She looked up at him, wishing she could shoot him real daggers through her eyes. "Can I go now ?"

"What did they tell you ?"

"What do you think," she curtly said, "that they congratulated me ? Oh and my father took away all means of communication from me, so yeah Luke, you can be really proud of yourself."

"That's why you didn't answer my..."

"And I have to come home right after school," she added on the same tone. He made a face, apparently realising how bad he had messed up. "I can't even work at the Café anymore !"

Lucas ran a hand through his hair and stepped back, sitting on a table behind him. "You do agree," he told her calmly, "that if we had waited any longer to tell him, his reaction would have been worse ?"

"Yeah," she admitted, "but maybe we could have, I don't know... Omitted the fact that we had started dating now ?"

"I think he would have figured it out."

"Oh if that's what you think," she cried, annoyed, "then it's probably the ultimate truth !"

"Brooke I'm sorry, alright," he sighed, rolling his eyes, "but I honestly think we had no other choice."

"We did have a choice," she retorted with a frown. "But you didn't ask for my opinion... No, you decided to _ignore_ my opinion." She got up and walked to the door, startling him.

"Wait, Brooke..."

"No," she said coldly, turning to face him. "You got us in this shitstorm, you find us a way out."

"Do you think that if I talk to him..."

She snorted, "Where were you yesterday ? He won't let you say a word, you could... You could spend the whole night at our door and he still won't listen !"

She ignored his distraught look and rushed in the hall, with a furious need to punch a wall.

 **Peyton Sawyer**

At noon, they had all gathered as usual to eat lunch together. Her gaze had mechanically drifted to Julian, who was sitting a few seats next to her and was talking to Mouth. When he noticed her stare, he grinned and gave her a wink.

Peyton slowly shook her head, trying her best not to smile, and focused on Brooke who was telling her how badly she wanted to punch a wall right now.

"I swear, he's such an idiot," she said in a sharp whisper. "And my father who's so stubborn he won't even hear what I have to say..."

"He did act like a royal asshole," Nathan mumbled with a frown.

Peyton turned to him. He had asked her a few minutes ago why Brooke was this pissed, and since her friend had been too busy grumbling about Lucas being a moronic moron, Peyton had told him, and Haley, what had happened.

"There's really no need to insult him, Nate," Brooke told him with a frown.

"But you just kept saying that..." he said, confused.

"Yeah, well that doesn't mean you can rub it in. I'm not even hungry anymore," she said before bolting up on her feet and leaving the room.

"Brooke !" Peyton called her, in vain.

Haley started getting up but froze when Nathan put a hand on her arm. "Don't," Peyton told her, "she'll calm down on her own."

"But..."

"Believe me, if you follow her now you'll end up with your head in a trash can," she said with a half-amused smile. "And you," she added to Nathan, "I know you're not fond of your brother, but that doesn't mean you can diss him whenever you want to, especially not in front of her."

"I'm just saying what I think," he retorted. "Don't tell me you think it was a smart move to..."

"Sure, it wasn't the brightest idea of the century," she said with a shrug, "but he had his reasons, and I think we all get them, don't we ?"

"Am I dreaming," he said, raising his eyebrows, "or are you actually happy that he went to talk to Ted ?"

"I am," she admitted with a grin.

"But... What ?" Nathan asked, confused. "You don't want them to be together ?" Peyton chuckled, shaking her head. "I really don't get it."

"It's because," Haley told him with a lopsided smile, "it proves he cares a lot about Brooke, even if it was pretty clumsy of him."

 **Brooke Davis**

When she got home, she checked the time and got relieved to see it was almost a quarter past five. She looked up and saw with surprise that her father was standing next to the stairs. He looked at his watch then at his daughter, and after a quick nod, went back to work in his office.

Brooke sighed and wondered if he was going to act like gunnery sergeant Hartman every night from now on. She dropped her bag to the floor and went to the living room where she got startled once again, this time by her mother who was sitting on the couch, reading a magazine.

"What are you doing here ?"

"Hello to you too, Brooke," she said, glancing at her above her pages.

"Hi. Didn't you go back to New York last night ?"

"No, I decided to take one or two weeks off."

One or two ? She wasn't sure ? " Why ?" she asked her mother, puzzled.

"I just thought I'd better stick around," Victoria said with a simple shrug.

Her confusion didn't lessen, but she stayed silent and went up to her room to work. After she was done with her homework, which had been interrupted three times when she heard the doorbell ring, Brooke went back downstairs to see if dinner was ready. Her mother was just setting the table and her father soon came out of his office, looking oddly more sullen than before.

They had already started eating when Brooke put down her fork when she heard the doorbell ring. She started getting up, but her father told her to ignore it and keep eating. Intrigued, she looked at her mother who seemed nervous but didn't tell her anything. Maybe she was just imagining things...

And then she remembered that it was already the fourth time in the evening she was hearing that sound.

"Can't we just see who it is ?"

"No need to," Ted told her on a firm tone. Confused by their attitude, she stood up, resolute to find out who was harassing them. "Sit down, now !" he shouted, quickly standing up too.

For him to get angry so quickly, it could be only one person... "Who is it ?"

"Sit down Brooke." he told her with a much calmer voice.

"Who's at our door, dad ?"

"Who do you think it is ?" her mother told her, ignoring her husband disapproving stare.

"It's Lucas, isn't it ? Can't you just open the door," she asked her father, "and tell him to leave ?"

"That's not your decision to make. Sit down."

The first time she had heard the bell ring, it had been almost six. Which meant he had been waiting under their porch for more than two hours ? Why was he doing such a thing if he knew no one was about to answer him ?

Unless... He hadn't seriously taken her at her word after what she had told him this morning, had he ?

Brooke glanced at her father who seemed like he was close to blowing a fuse and locking her up in her room, and unwillingly decided to sit down on her chair. Ted looked relieved and was much more relaxed when he sat too and went back to his meal.

She looked down at her plate, and couldn't help looking over her shoulder, to the front door, aware that Lucas was right behind it, sitting around.

"It's delicious," Ted told his wife, "Brooke you're not eating ?"

"I'm not very hungry," she murmured, her head lowered.

"You should eat before it gets cold," he advised her with a smile.

"No."

It wasn't fair that Lucas was the only one trying to fix things. Sure, she had told him just the opposite this morning, but she had been angry at him and deep down, even if she weren't ready to admit it, she was way more angry at her father for ignoring him like that.

"What do you mean, no ?" Victoria asked her, her eyes filled with anxiety going from her to her husband.

"No," she repeated, looking at her father. "I'm not touching this food until you talk to him."

"What ?"

"You're right, as long as I live here, and don't worry I'll soon leave your house, I have to obey you. But there's a limit to what you can force me to do, or not do. And you can't force me to eat," she said, standing up.

"What," he said, rolling his eyes, clearly not taking her seriously, "you're starting a hunger strike ?"

She hadn't really thought that far, but... "Exactly."

"Great, suit yourself," he told her with irony.

Revolted by his disdain, Brooke spun around and almost ran to her room. As she was climbing up the stairs, the taunts of her father rang in her ears, "How about a Salt March, while you're at it ?"

 **Nathan Scott**

Leaning on Brooke's locker, Nathan was patiently waiting for her to show up. He straightened his back when he noticed her, and saw, even from afar, that she hadn't expected to see him there.

"Hey," he said with a shy smile.

"Hi," she said without a glance.

She opened her locker and started putting her books in it. "I'm sorry about yesterday." She still wasn't talking, but at least she was listening, her arm frozen above her head. "I was an ass," he said with a sigh. "I know you're not fine and I just... I'm sorry."

Brooke let out a small sigh and finally looked at him; he was relieved to spot no sign of bitterness on her face. "It's okay," she said with a slight smile, "I know you can't stand him anyway."

"I wouldn't go that far, he's not Dan..." he stopped, seeing her smile melt down. "Don't worry, he still hasn't come home."

"Oh," she said, surprised. "Erm... Did you tell your mom ?"

"Yeah."

"And how did she react ?"

"What do you think ?"

Brooke frowned and put her hand around his arm. "I'm sorry your father's such a creep."

He chuckled, sliding an arm around her shoulders. "And I hope yours will come back to his sense," he softly said.

They started walking to their classroom, "I don't think he'll give up." she said on a sad tone.

"If you want, I can try to talk to him."

Brooke stopped walking for a moment, staring at him with surprise. "You'd do that for Lucas ?"

"Well, more fore you really, but yeah... He did help me too."

"Thanks," she said, visibly touched, "but I don't think he's ready to listen to anyone for now. Last night he refused to talk to your brother."

"Lucas came by ?" he asked, taken aback.

"He didn't just come by, he stayed around two hours in front of my door waiting for an answer," she said before adding with a sullen face, "and my father didn't move an inch."

Nathan sighed; he still had trouble dealing with his brother, just as Brooke had said, but that didn't mean he wished for the worst to happen to him. And he could see how it hurt Brooke, and felt frustrated not to be able to help.

"He'll come around," he told her, "just give him some time..."

"I don't know if he will but in the meantime, I'll stop eating."

He froze, not getting what that had anything to do with her problem, and let her walk off on her own. "What ?"

Already a few feet ahead of him, she simply waved him goodbye.

 **Lucas Scott**

Sitting on the steps in front of Brooke's house, Lucas looked at his watch : almost nine pm. He sighed, and wondered if it wasn't better to just go home now. Maybe there was a threshold of the number of hours he'd spend here above which Ted would know he was being serious about his daughter... Well, according to last night, eight thirty was not that threshold.

His head buried in his hands, he was thinking of a way to make things up. If it was only Ted who refused to talk to him, fine... But now, Brooke was also avoiding him at school. And he had no way to keep in touch with her.

Lucas heard a sound behind him, a key inserted in its lock, and immediately stood up when he saw the door open.

He hadn't expected Victoria to show up. He opened his mouth, but she quickly gestured him to stay silent and closed the door without making a noise. She then came to sit next to him and handed him a mug she had been holding in her hand.

"It's coffee," she murmured him.

"Thank you," he said, taking it in his hands.

"I don't have much time, Ted is busy calling for his work. What you've done... Lucas ? Can I call you Lucas ?" He nodded, taking a mouthful of coffee. "What you've done the other day, was really stupid." she said, her face unreadable.

One more person telling him that wasn't going to change things now. "I know."

"Stupid," she repeated, "but very romantic."

Her expression might be unmoved, but Lucas was under the impression that she wasn't the stoic person she was trying to show. "You already knew," he said, startled. "How long have you known ?"

"I didn't, well, I wasn't sure. I simply suspected something. Look, I get that you absolutely want to talk to Ted, but he won't hear you now. Nor tomorrow. You need to give him some time."

"I know that," he said with a slight smile.

"Then why..."

"I can't see Brooke at school, and even if I could she refuses to talk to me," he explained a little awkwardly. "So... It's the only way I have to remind her that I care for her."

"Oh," she said, taken aback. "Too bad you're not three years younger," she said with a sigh, "things would have been simpler."

"Did she talk to you about me ?"

"If you know her well enough," she said with a lopsided smile, "you know that Brooke and I are not very close. She doesn't confide in me."

"I..." he said, embarrassed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you..."

"But she doesn't have to," she said with a vague hand movement that probably meant she didn't care and wasn't upset, "it's all written on her face. She wouldn't start fasting for just anyone."

"Ah," he said, relieved to hear that. Wait, what had she just said ? "Fasting ?"

 **Brooke Davis**

"I'm fine," she murmured with a nod.

Peyton was watching her from the corner of her eyes, half-worried, half-amused. "It's been two days, Brooke."

"Five meals," she added. "I never thought it would be so hard," she whined, before dropping her head on the table, not paying any attention to their class.

"Did he come yesterday too ?"

"Yeah."

Brooke closed her eyes, which didn't help her since it only seemed to make her focus even more on what her teacher, namely Lucas, was saying. Well it was either that, or she had to constantly think about the burning sensation raging in her stomach, so...

Before she even realised it, everyone was standing up to leave. Brooke sat up and turned to Peyton, who smiled at her and grabbed her arm.

"Come on Davis, I'll carry you to our next class."

"Brooke, can I see you just a minute ?"

She froze and looked at her friend who simply shrugged at her, though with a satisfied expression on her face, before leaving her behind. Brooke waited until the last student had left to close the door behind him. "Twice in a week," she said in a low voice, "people might start gossiping."

She turned to him, her arms crossed, and got surprised to see him with a wide grin, having expected him to look sheepish. "At least you're talking today."

"I talked to you Tuesday," she retorted.

"You did, but now you're talking calmly," he said, emphasising on the last word, an amused look on his face.

"If you called me to say that..."

"No," he said, shaking his head before taking a few steps in her direction. "I just wanted to see you very, very badly."

Brooke cursed herself for letting her heart race at any stupidly sweet thing he could tell her. "If.. If you..." she stuttered with a frown, "If you think you can get away with just..."

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him, making her let out a small cry of surprise before he kissed her. Brooke yanked her arm away and pushed him back with both hands, her eyes burning. "You can't get away with this by just kissing me !" she cried, indignant.

"Yeah ?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

He slid an arm around her and pulled her to him once again. This time, she neither had the strength nor the will to get away. Instead, she put a hand on his nape and let him lift her from the floor, walk a few steps and make her sit on his desk. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and smiled when she heard him groan.

Lucas put an end to their kiss, his hands tangled up in Brooke's hair.

"I should piss you more often," he said with a little laugh.

"You better not," she retorted, punching his shoulder.

"I know," he murmured to her ear, before planting a light kiss on her cheek. He took a few steps back, and bent over the floor to get his bag. "I have a gift for you," he said, rummaging through it.

"I love gifts," she said with a gleeful grin. He took a small bag out of it, with the Café's bumper on it. "That's..."

"Waffles," he told her with a grin, shaking the bag to her face, "you must be starving, right ?"

"You... You know ?" He knew ? "How do you know ?"

"Your mother told me."

"My mother ?" she repeated, stunned. "Are you sure it wasn't just a neighbour ?"

"No," he said with a chuckled, "it was your mother. She also gave me some coffee."

"Coffee," she said, a little sceptical. "My mother ?"

"Yeah. So, do you want them ? Your father doesn't have to know."

"Ha ! So now he doesn't have to know everything, huh ?" she asked, shaking her head. _Now_ he looked sheepish. "Thanks but no, it's a matter of principle. I need to stick to my words, otherwise I would have eaten something a long time ago."

"Brooke," he sighed, "I'm really touched that you're doing this for me, but I don't want you to starve to death. I like you better when you're alive."

"I won't go that far," she said with a quiet laugh, "my dad will crack first. Well, I think he will."

"Come on, just one waffle, it won't hurt," he said with a lopsided smile.

She looked away and forced herself to answer, ignoring her burning stomach, "No really, I can't."

"Alright," he said with a shrug, "then I'll just eat them myself," he said, taking one waffle out. He took a huge bite, sitting on the table behind him. "Mmh," he said, closing his eyes, "it's delicious. You have no idea what you're missing, I'll have to tell my mom."

"Oh come on," she begged, "you're torturing me !"

"But really, it's so tasty," he said, taking another bite.

Despite her indignation, Lucas was about to keep eating. She jumped on her feet and before she knew it, she had walked up to him, tugged on his arm and bit in that damn waffle, making him laugh out loud.

 **Peyton Sawyer**

"I think we're done," Julian murmured, his brow furrowed in focus.

Sitting on Peyton's desk, he was staring at the screen in front of him. "Yeah ?" she said, continuing her drawing.

"I thought you'd be more enthusiastic," he told her, turning to her.

"Oh but I am glad," she said on the same monotonous voice.

She heard him get up and when she looked up from her sketching book, he had knelt down in front of her, his head resting on his crossed arms. "Then what is it ?"

"This," she said after a few seconds of hesitation.

She turned around her book so that he could see what she had been drawing, so that he could see himself kissing her in her kitchen. "Oh," he said, taking it in his hands. "I didn't know I had those biceps."

"Your biceps are not the main subject here," she retorted with a glare.

"I know," he said, chuckling.

"So, what is... What are we ?"

"Erm, well... Two friends who spend time together."

"That's it ?" she asked, frowning. "We're just friends ?"

He raised his eyebrows. "You want to be more than that ?"

"Why do you sound so surprised ?"

"It's just that..." he said, unsettled, "I thought you wanted to know me better before..."

She interrupted him, placing her hand on his mouth. "I'm done thinking too hard about this," she told him before leaning to kiss him.

 **Brooke Davis**

For the third time in a row, her father was waiting for her when she walked through the door. But instead of going back to work in silence as he had done so far, he stayed still while she closed the door.

"We'll leave tomorrow as soon as you're home."

"Where are you going ?" she asked, confused.

" _We_ are going to Boston."

Bos...

Ah, right, they had already planned to spend a weekend there to pick an apartment from the list they had made with Haley. With everything that had happened, Brooke had completely forgotten about their plans.

"Don't forget to tell Haley at what time we'll pick her up."

Brooke sighed, and leaned on the door. She had a felling this weekend would be exhausting.

* * *

I completely forgot this chapter was so long... Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it ! I doubt I'll be able to finish the next chapter this week, so you should probably expect it for next monday or tuesday !


	15. Confessions, Pt 2

**CONFESSIONS, PT. 2**

 **Brooke Davis**

After weeks of playing hide and seek, the sun had finally decided to come out. Surrounded by her friends, Brooke thoughtfully glanced at the other students sitting at the tables around them, who had also decided to eat outside to enjoy the weather, and get some vitamin D in the process.

A minute before, she had reminded Haley that they were both leaving for Boston tonight, in order to visit the few apartments they had selected, but it had turned out that Haley had not forgotten about their plans. Apparently, Brooke was the only one who could forget such a thing.

"I'd hate to be in your car, stuck between you and Ted."

Brooke turned to Nathan who was finishing his lunch. "Our car ?" she repeated with a laugh.

"If they went by car," Peyton told him, "it would take them half a day ! Maybe even more."

"So how are you going there ?"

"By plane," Haley replied, "it only takes two hours."

"And when will you be back ?"

"Sunday, at noon."

"Which means we can eat together then," he told her with a soft smile.

Peyton shot him a side glance, her eyes filled with mockery. "At first I thought you were touching," she told him, pointing at Haley and him, "but now you're just plain scary."

"Ha", Brooke said before Nathan could reply, "I'm pretty sure you'll act the same in less than a week !"

Nathan and Haley didn't seem to understand, for they stared at each other, the same confused look crossing their faces. "What do you mean, the same..." he said before a surprised smile appeared on his lips. "Are you dating someone, Sawyer ?"

"If a joke like you can get someone," she retorted with a snort, "I don't see why I could not."

Holding back a laugh, Brooke rolled her eyes, wondering when and if they would ever stop bickering. But then, it felt so good, so right to have them bicker like that again. Things were finally back to normal. "So," he said, ignoring her pique, "who's the unlucky guy ?"

"I suppose that would be me."

They all raised their heads at the same time to Julian, who had quietly slipped behind Peyton, and quickly sat next to her. "Oh," Haley said, only half-surprised.

"I wish you the best," Nathan solemnly told him, shaking his hand and making them all laugh, including Peyton.

"Brooke, are you still on strike ?" Julian asked her, noticing her empty tray.

"Yup."

"Please," Peyton told her with a lopsided grin, "we all know your favourite teacher will sneak out some food for you."

"Peyt," she said with an alarming voice, "why don't you shout about it, huh ? And anyway, I won't give in this time."

Otherwise, her father would soon notice that his daughter was not starving to death. "If you told your father," Nathan suggested with a detached tone, "maybe he'd get a better opinion of Lucas." They all stared at him, startled. "What ? What did I say this time ?"

"Nothing, it's just that... Since when do you stand up for him ?" Haley asked him.

"Who knows," he mumbled with a shrug, looking down at his plate, "y'all have a bad influence on me."

 **Lucas Scott**

When he reached home, Lucas dragged himself to the nearest chair he could find in his kitchen and slumped down on it. In that state, even if Ted had been home tonight, he probably wouldn't have gone there. Fortunately, Brooke had had the time to talk to him at lunch break, and had notified him of their absence. Apparently, she had forgotten about their trip to check apartments with Haley and her father. During their short meeting, he had also easily given her a sandwich. She had first protested, but he had been very convincing and Brooke had eventually thanked him in hushed tones. She had also handed him back his book that she had kept for a week now. Too bad that they hadn't had the time to talk further, Lucas would have really liked to know what she thought about it, now that she had entirely read it.

Lucas noticed a flickering light on the opposite wall, the one from the phone. He got up, slowly went to press on the button next to it and listened to the recorded message. Lindsay had now reached the point where she was willing to harass him even on his land-line. He sighed, perfectly aware hat she was probably worried sick since he had not answered any of her calls for two days.

He had a good reason to ignore her calls : he knew very well that she was calling him to know when he would come back to New York, when they could finally work together on his novel. And of course, he still hadn't told her that he was planning on postpoining its release. He was well aware that he couldn't avoid that conversation endlessly, but he already had one big problem to solve with Brooke's father, and he'd rather go around it methodically. One problem at a time was more than enough.

Anyway, whether the publication would be postponed or not, he knew Lindsay would want to work on it as soon as possible, meaning right after graduation. The minute he would be done with his teacher's duty, she would fly to Tree Hill, ready to bring him back with her, one way or another.

When in New York, he would be working non stop on the book, which meant his free time would significantly decrease... And he would not be able to come back to Tree Hill very often.

Deep in his thoughts, he turned on the coffee maker and, waiting for it to heat up, took a cup from the cupboard above his head.

He could come back every weekend. It was physically doable, but getting plane tickets four times a month... He winced just by thinking of his banker's face. Not everyone had Victoria Davis' salary...

There was another solution, much more practical : he could invite Brooke to stay at his place, in his apartment in New York. There was more than enough room for the two of them, and he could pay her ticket. Knowing her, she wouldn't say no to a vacation in New York. And if her father was against it, she could still stay with her mother...

Argh, her father, he had almost forgotten him... His plan sounded perfect, but for it to work, he needed Ted to allow his daughter out of his house this summer, not to mention with him.

Lucas sighed, lowered his head and saw that his coffee was ready.

They still had a little time before summer, maybe Ted could change his mind... Maybe. Anyway, once she was done with high school, Brooke would probably do just whatever she wanted to, but Lucas still preferred to stay in good terms with her father, especially with his ability to be easily riled up when his daughter was concerned.

Could he really blame him for that ? Let's see... If his daughter was dating the very young and new high school teacher who had just spent an entire year travelling around the world and who earned his life through books that depended solely on his random inspiration... Lucas was pretty sure he wouldn't let this weirdo anywhere near his daughter.

Speaking of his book, maybe he could use it to win him over... Or not. He would probably take him even more for a pervert.

At least, Victoria seemed to be supporting them... Too bad she couldn't convince her husband.

"What's got you thinking this hard ?"

His head shot up, startled. "Mom ! When did you get here ?"

"Five minutes ago," she said with a smile, sitting at their table. He poured her a cup and went to sit across her. "So, what were you thinking about ?"

"Holidays."

"Holidays ?" she repeated, surprised. "I thought you were planning on working on your book the whole summer ?"

"Erm, yeah, I am... I wasn't talking about my holidays, I was talking about the students." He quickly added, noticing his mother's perplexity, "How was your day ?"

"Great, we had a lot of people today but we managed... I'll need you this weekend though, even Haley won't be there."

"Sure," he said with a comforting smile, "but tomorrow morning I have a meeting at school, do you think you can..."

"Deb will be here," she assured him. "How's Brooke doing ?"

He coughed, almost choking on his coffee. "Brooke ?" he mumbled, suddenly nervous. "How would I know that ?"

"She's your student," she said, confused, "didn't you see her in class this week ?"

"Ah, yeah, I saw her... She looked normal."

This seemed to relieve his mother, who let out a quiet sigh and said, "Good. I still don't know why Ted punished her like that. When he called to say that she couldn't work until further notice, he didn't give me any explanation."

"And Haley didn't tell you anything ?"

"No," she shook her head, "and I know it's not any of my business. But," she added with a worried frown, "I know Ted and he's not the type to lose his temper. So I really wonder what she did to anger him this much." To think that the answer to her question was sitting right in front of her. "Aren't you intrigued ?" she asked him, an eyebrow raised.

"Erm... You know her better than I do," he said, his eyes drifting to his hands. "How's Deb ?"

"Fine... Oh," she said with more energy, "you won't believe what she told me today !"

"What ?"

 **Nathan Scott**

He had barely made a step into his house when he froze, hearing a sound of broken crockery. Another victim of his mother's clumsiness...

Nathan was about to ignore this little incident and continue his way to his room, when he heard screams, interspersed with other shattered glass sounds. He dropped his bag and ran to the kitchen, stopping right under the door frame when he saw his mother.

Deborah was standing a few feet in front of him, on the other side of the kitchen, near the sink and on a stool. She plunged her hand in a cupboard, took a plate out of it and threw it on the floor. " How dare you say that to me !" she screamed hysterically, her face crimson.

Stupefied, Nathan shifted his wide open eyes and turned to his father who was standing on his right, still slightly bending over, an arm covering his eyes from possible projectiles. When he straightened his back, he saw how furious Dan was; he looked even more furious than his wife. He didn't waver a second and with his left hand grabbed the vase that was decorating the bar, the same vase that had been offered to them by Deb's mother, and threw it with rage on the floor, under Deb's horrified gaze.

"What the hell are you doing ?!" Nathan shouted, not recognising any of his parents.

Both adults froze, both with an arm raised above their heads, ready to smash other valuable items. "Oh, Nate," his mother said with a voice a tad too high-pitched, "I didn't hear you come in. As you can see, your father just came back from his little trip to Charlotte."

"I can see that," he said, glancing at him.

"You'll never guess your mother's latest craze," Dan told him, his face still red, half-furious, half-exasperated.

That was all he had to say ? Dan hadn't spoken to him in a week, he hadn't come home since Charlotte, and that was all he had to say ?

Nathan kept his anger for himself and, curious, turned to his mother with a quizzical look. "I want to divorce." This time, her voice was calm and made him slightly smile. A smile that didn't go unnoticed by his father.

"You like that ?" Dan asked him, startled.

"Why wouldn't I ?" he retorted with a snort.

"Why ?" he repeated before glancing at his wife. "Why ? All of a sudden you want to divorce ?"

"Because, Dan," she said with a death stare, "I can put up with an awful lot of things... But high-school girls ?" she screamed before throwing another plate.

Just like Dan, Nathan bent over and covered his head with his arms. "What ?" was all Dan managed to say, befuddled.

"I told her," Nathan said.

Dan shifted a bit and slowly turned to gaze at his son, looking shocked. "You did what ?" he asked, stepping toward him.

"I told her the truth," he said with a shrug. "I told her why you have this yellow mark under your eye. And yeah, we can still see it," he said with a sneer.

"How dare you..." Dan murmured, his eyes darkening.

"Hey !" Deb called, getting his attention. "Don't put this on him, this is between you and me !"

"But you're the one blowing a fuse for nothing !" he yelled, his face twisted with rage. "Look at you, you're acting like a maniac !"

"That's what happens after eighteen years of marriage to you !"

"Oh I see, _she_ talked you into this, didn't she ?" he asked, making Nathan wonder who he was talking about.

"You mean Karen ?" she asked with a scowl. "No, she didn't talk me into anything. Breaking news for you, huh ? I can make my own decisions ! You might want to get a lawyer now, I've already called mine."

 **Brooke Davis**

"I didn't know your mother was coming too," Haley murmured.

Brooke turned to her friend, then quickly glanced over her shoulder, one row behind her, where her parents were sitting on their seats. She politely smiled at the steward walking by her and looked back at Haley. "I didn't know it either, until last night," she admitted with a shrug. "And you know what else she did ? She talked to Lucas."

"That's nice of her."

"I guess so," Brooke said, embarrassed.

It was nice, yes, but... She wasn't really used to it. Yet.

Brooke turned a page of the magazine she had been holding in her hands but quickly sighed of pure boredom and put it back in front of her. She checked her watch : they had only spent thirty minutes on this plane, and she already couldn't wait to get out of it. It wasn't really the flight that bothered her, it was the heavy atmosphere hanging around her father and herself. And even if her parents were being as friendly as they could with Haley, she had to be at least a little uncomfortable with them.

"What are you looking for ?" she asked, noticing her rummaging through her handbag.

"I think I forgot my charger," Haley said, sounding worried.

She started to take out one by one every item in her bag, placing them in front of her. One object caught Brooke's attention, a flyer she had never seen. "What's that ?"

"You didn't get it ?" Haley asked her with surprise, her eyebrows raised. "It was in my locker, I saw it right before leaving... Maybe they put it this afternoon."

Brooke took it in her hands and brought it closer to scrutinize it It showed a couple dancing on the middle of a shadowed dance floor, an enormous spotlight hanging over them.

Prom... She had actually completely forgotten about prom ! It was already in a month... To think that Peyton and her had been talking about this since they were seven and now, Brooke had absolutely no desire to go. What was the point, if she couldn't go with the partner she wanted ?

"You're going, right ?" Haley asked her, slightly frowning.

"Mmh ?" she asked absent-mindedly. "Yeah, probably..."

Haley noted how evasive she was, but Brooke didn't pay attention to that and unsubtly changed the subject.

About an hour later, their plane landed without trouble at the Boston-Logan airport. The minute she put her feet on a ground that was completely new to her, Brooke carefully studied the places she walked through; it seemed that for the first time, the idea that she would soon be living in this unknown town hit her.

When they reached their hotel, Ted made them wait in the main hall while he was getting rooms. A few minutes later, he walked to them and handed them each a key. The staff would soon pick up their luggages, so they could directly get dinner at the buffet.

"I'll see you later then," Brooke told them with a smirk.

She ignored her father's disapproving stare, took her bag with her and walked to the lift.

 **Nathan Scott**

Nathan usually went for a run on Sunday mornings. Saturdays were for sleeping in, but today was different as he had very early decided to put on his sneakers and leave his house. The reason for that was simple : his lazy ritual had been interrupted by the screams of his parents.

He was more than delighted with his mother's resolve, but since she had made this decision and since Dan had come home, they seemed ready to murder each other, and that seriously was starting to piss him off.

When Dan had left, slamming the door on his way out last night, Nathan had thought for a moment that it was over, but no, his father had come back early in the morning.

As he was running by the Karen's café, he decided to stop by to catch his breath. When he entered, he quickly noticed with surprise that no one was behind the counter, leaving the register unattended despite the clients sitting around. After ten seconds, Karen appeared running from the back room and got startled to see him.

"Nathan ! How are you ?" she asked, not leaving him the time to answer. "I'm sorry I can't talk right now, if you want something just take it, it's on me."

She went back to the kitchen as fast as she had arrived. Nathan frowned, turned to the clients again, and decided to walk around the bar and went to the kitchen. "Karen ?" he asked, coming in. Nathan saw her busy on her counter top, spreading dough after dough. "Is everything alright ?"

"Yeah," she said without looking up, "why ?"

"Erm... There's no one at the front."

"Your mother couldn't come this morning, and she warned me a little late. Apparently it's about your father, you know because of..."

She stopped talking and finally looked up at him, looking hesitant. "The divorce," he said for her. And that was why his mother had bailed on her at the last minute ? "And Lucas can't replace her ?"

"No," she sighed, "he has a school meeting this morning."

"Ah." She smiled at him, as if touched by his concern, then focused back on her work. "Karen ? I can help, if you want."

Karen froze once again, her head shooting up, taken aback. "You would do that ? But you've never worked here, and I don't have the time to explain what..."

"Karen," he cut her off with a grin, "I've been hanging out here for two years, watching Brooke work. I know how the register work. And I'm pretty sure I can take orders."

"Fine," she said without thinking much, "the job's yours, your apron is behind the bar."

That was how he got hired for the morning, waiting behind the register for a client to need him.

It didn't happen that often. There were only two people left in the room, and no one had come in the last twenty minutes. Nathan sighed, wondering how Brooke and Haley didn't die out of boredom, waiting on that stool. He remembered then that the girls usually took their homework with them and lately, Brooke was always carrying a book around her. Unfortunately, he had neither of those.

He held back a laugh : even if he had a book at hand, he would probably not touch it.

He looked below the counter and noticed that next to a calculator, a few pencils and a monkey wrench, there _was_ a book. Nathan hesitated for a while and eventually resigned himself to take it since apparently nothing else was about to distract him.

He turned it over to read its title and raised his eyebrows when he saw that it was one of Lucas' books. And it wasn't just any of his books, it was the first one he had written. He shouldn't have been this surprised to find it here since, after all, the owner of this place was his own mother.

His first reflex was to put it back, but then he figured that he had never read it, not even a page, and that it couldn't hurt to read a few lines. Worst case scenario, he would just waste his time.

With a finger, he brushed the upper edge, wondering why there was a multitude of post-it notes sticking to its pages, until he recognised Brooke's handwriting. She had apparently marked every section she had judged important and had put a comment on it. When he saw how worn-out the binding was, he figured she must had read it over and over again. That was probably the factor that convinced him to open it at the first page.

 **Brooke Davis**

The room was overlooking the city with, from afar, the Charles river splitting it in two. Brooke was contemplating the bridge linking the two sides when her mother came in the room, asking for her opinion.

"The view's great," she said with a smile, turning to Victoria, "but the kitchen is so small. What do you think ?" she asked to Haley, who was standing right next to her.

"I'm not fond of the living room's shape... But we do have a nice view here," she said, pensive.

They both looked at Victoria, who sighed with a resigned look, "Fine, not this one either. I'm gonna tell your father, I think he's already negotiating the rent."

"I hope it doesn't bother them," Haley told her once her mother had left the room.

"Why would they be ?" she retorted, "We came here to make a choice, that means we're gonna say no a bunch of times. We already agreed, if one of us doesn't like it, we don't take it."

It was already the fourth apartment they were visiting. The first one had been too small, the second too big and over an Indian restaurant that would wake them up with unwanted odours in the morning, the third had been okay... Just like this one. If the rest of the apartments they had to visit sucked, they would have to chose between number three and number four.

They joined Ted and Victoria in the entrance, who told them that before the next visit, they had time to stop by somewhere in town to grab a bite.

"That is, for those who are hungry," Ted said to her.

Fifteen minutes later, they were sitting at the terrace of an Italian restaurant and were all, except for Brooke, sharing a particularly mouthwatering pizza.

"Mmh, this is exquisite." Brooke ignored her father and took a book out of her bag. "So Haley," he asked with a smile, "how's school going?"

"Oh, pretty well..."

"Are you stressed about your finals ?"

"I am," she admitted with a smile, " a lot."

"Please," Brooke said, rolling her eyes, "everyone knows you'll be our valedictorian."

"We'll see that" she answered with a blush, flattered and embarrassed at the same time.

"And how are things going with Nathan ?"

Brooke glanced at her father, frowning. How was that any of his business ? "Great," Haley said, though she also looked like she had no idea why he was asking her that all of a sudden.

"He's a little impulsive sometimes, isn't he ?"

"Erm..."

"I mean, that's what you told me," he added to Brooke.

"Maybe I did," she said, her frown deepening, "but he's with Haley now, so..."

"Yes, but he stays the same. I hope you don't fight too often," he added to Haley.

"No," she replied, troubled, "no..."

"Dad you're making her uncomfortable with your questions, can't you see that ?" she asked, containing her annoyance.

"Am I ?" he asked with a faked surprise. Brooke shot a look at Victoria, who also seemed like she didn't recognise him. What was he up to ?

"No," Haley said, "I mean..."

"So how long have you known each other ?"

"We met around two months ago," she politely said.

"So it hasn't been long."

"What's your point ?" Brooke asked him, edgy.

"I'm just observing that they don't know each other that well," he told her with a casual shrug.

"They have plenty of time to get to know each other."

"Well, with college... They won't meet often."

"They will, on weekends."

"Yeah, but..."

"Anyway," Victoria interrupted them, staring at them with wide open eyes, "it's none of our business, and I'm sure Nathan and you will find a solution to meet as much as you can," she said to Haley with a warm smile, as if she wanted to apologize for her husband's weirdness.

Haley's mouth stretched into a thin line that wasn't really a smile, and Brooke wondered what got into her father. Was he drawing a parallel between them, to show her that she hadn't known Lucas for a long time either ? Or did he simply decide to become impossible ?

 **Nathan Scott**

Right before noon, the number of clients increased progressively, leaving him with less and less time to read.

Nathan had always known that his first book was an autobiography and was about his childhood, thus inevitably dealing about their family situation, but he had never thought he appeared so much in it. When he had first read his name, he had feared the worst and had noticed with surprise that there was no bitterness in his words. Well, not exactly. Lucas explained in his book that for a very long time, he had blamed him for everything, since his birth had more or less taken their father from Karen and him, but came to the conclusion that he hadn't a choice at all and that deep down, he knew Dan would have left them one day or another. He had only been a catalyst.

There was another thing that threw him off in this book. Despite everything he could say, Dan was still attached to his first son, otherwise why would he have forced Nathan to watch all his matches ? He even had him hired at school and there was a high probability that he had read his book when it had been published. And even if he hadn't read it, he had probably heard about it many times... So he had to know that Lucas was, rightfully so, describing him as an egoistical bastard. But then... Why would he support him so much ? If they really hated each other, as he had proven in Charlotte, why was it in his interest to secretly help him ? Did he even have a reason for that ? After all, his father had proven him more than once that he was capable of rash and irrational actions. Maybe he was simply insane. Maybe, in addition to his heart condition, he was also suffering from a psychiatric one. In which case, Nathan was hoping very strongly that it wasn't hereditary.

The next person who crossed the Café's door was Lucas, who looked extremely surprised to see him sitting there. When he saw him coming in, he got a bit disappointed as he realised that he wouldn't be able to finish the book, but instead of admitting that aloud, he got up, took off his apron and handed it to Lucas as soon as he had walked up to him.

"Deb's not here ?"

"No."

Without adding any details, he headed for the kitchen to tell Karen that her son had arrived, and that if she didn't mind, he would now go home.

"Of course you can go," she told him with a wide smile. "Thanks again for everything, I'll pay you next time you come here."

"Just consider this as voluntary work."

He wished her a nice day and when he went through the door leading to the main room, got himself stuck in a narrow corridor, ambushed by Lucas who was blocking the way and eyeing him with a slight smile.

"I didn't know you were this generous."

"You don't know me well," he retorted, "and you have clients waiting for you." With a vague hand wave, he bid him goodbye and walked past him.

"Is he back ? Dan ?" he asked, following him closely. Nathan stopped in his tracks and spun around to stare at him, wondering what he had meant by that. "What ?" Lucas asked, confused.

"I get that you want a round two, but if you go on like that he's gonna start wondering why you get so worked up for a student."

Lucas' confusion seemed to grow even bigger, until he raised his eyebrows and shook his head, "I didn't ask for Brooke," he corrected, "I know he won't even think of going near her now."

"But then why..."

"I was asking for you," he said, sitting on the stool Nathan had been occupying all morning.

"Oh," he said with a smile that he quickly hid, "thanks but you don't have to worry about me, I'm a big boy."

 **Lucas Scott**

He watched Nathan leave the Café, lost in his thoughts. Once again, he hadn't dare to ask him for more information on Dan, and on why he had helped him get this job at their school. Ever since his conversation with Whitey, Lucas had convinced himself that it didn't matter and that whatever his reason could be, it wouldn't change a thing to his opinion on Dan. But, what if... What if this decision, this attention that Dan had mysteriously given him also had an impact on Nathan ? Then it would be a whole other problem. It was probably best to forget about this whole story, and it was probably what Nathan wanted him to do, but he just couldn't help it... He was his only brother after all, and he couldn't just ignore him, even if Nathan could do it with brio.

That was where the problem lied : Nathan didn't seem willing to talk to him more than usual, which came very close to void. Well, things were not as depressing as they used to be. At least now, Nathan had stopped glowering at him everytime they met, like he used to when they were much younger. And even before that phase, they had had the nasty habit of literally jumping at each other's throat for absolutely no reason at all, simply because they couldn't stand seeing each other. Which in fact had only pointed out that they had been more alike than what they had been willing to admit.

After checking twice that no client needed him, Lucas got up and went to the kitchen, where his mother was busy, her hands moving quickly to take care of three different things at the same time.

"I'm sorry about this morning," he said, walking up to her.

"It's alright, your work comes first. You didn't stood me up, Deb did. So, how did it go ?"

"They just gave us instructions for the finals, I don't know why it took three hours."

His presence had only been symbolic, since as a stand-in teacher, he couldn't write the subjects; his predecessor had indeed written it all down before she had left for her maternity leave. All he had to do was distributing, supervising and correcting. Nothing big. Nothing that required a three-hour meeting.

"Why didn't she come ?"

"She called me this morning," his mother said, annoyed but not resentful, "she's too busy battling with Dan. Apparently he called his lawyer and wants to keep their main house."

"So they're really divorcing ?"

"You thought I was kidding ?"

"No, but I thought Deb would change her mind. And if she does..."

"I know, it's what I thought too at first," she admitted, "but... She sounds really sure of herself. And I think it's better for them, especially for Nathan, if things get sorted out fast."

"So... He volunteered to replace his mother ?"

"Mmh" she said with a nod, "he really saved me. Thank God he was around... I... I was a bit scared," she said in a murmur.

"Of what ?" he asked with a frown.

"Nothing, it's just that... A few weeks ago, I saw him kissing Haley when he was still dating Brooke."

"For real ?" he asked, bewildered, though he knew he hadn't really cheated on her.

"Yeah," she said, pensive, "I never thought he would do that. And I was scared that Brooke would fall apart, I mean they've been together for two years... But she took it really well. She's even going to live with Haley next year, so I guess it's official, she's not a resentful person," she said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, definitely," he murmured, embarrassed to talk about this with his mother who only knew half of the story. "So he turned out to be a good recruit ?"

His mother gave him a wide grin. "I really can't complain. Well, we didn't get a lot of clients this morning, and half of them already knew him. I even saw him reading a book Brooke left here."

"A book ?"

Intrigued, Lucas headed back to the main room to find out what book he had been reading. He saw nothing on the bar, but when he checked underneath it, found a worn-out book filled with probably more than thirty different notes. Gee, how many times had Brooke read this in the last three months ? He swiftly took it in his hands, turning it around to check the title and immediately recognised it, since it was his own. He leaned over, looking for another book hidden there. There was nothing else, though. Wait... Nathan had been reading his book ?

 **Brooke Davis**

Leaning on the lift shaft that was slowly bringing them to the sixth floor, Brooke let out a quiet sigh, wondering inwardly if it was even worth it to visit this last apartment. They were all exhausted and only wanted one thing, to rest at their hotel. They would probably just go for number four, with the tiny kitchen and the oddly-shaped living room. At least, the view was great.

The realtor was patiently waiting for them on the threshold, and Ted introduced them. Apparently, he was an old college friend who was doing him a favour since visits were supposed to end at four pm, and it was past six pm. When they were done chitchatting, he opened the front door and let them in.

They all sneaked in one after another, stepping in a narrow and asymmetric hall, with a coat rack and a small table. After three meters, the hall was directly leading to the living room, with on their right a small dining area facing an open-plan kitchen. Brooke's gaze travelled from the aged-wooden bar to the ceiling, as she noticed the exposed steel beams crossing it. A small smile grew on her lips without her noticing and she glanced at Haley, who smiled back at her while the realtor was telling them about the two students who had lived here for three years and had loved this place.

The living room then led to another corridor, much wider than the hall, with three doors at its end : one for the common bathroom, and one for each bedroom.

It didn't take long for her to realise that this was the ideal apartment for the both of them, and it was a fifteen minutes ride away from their respective colleges. But most importantly, they had both seemed to have fallen in love with it.

She soon became disillusioned when the realtor brought up the rent, which turned out to be bigger than their budget by 200 dollars. That meant 100 dollars each to find if they wanted to live here.

"You're not the only one interested in this one," the realtor told them with a slight frown, "so I need an answer by the end of the day."

"But it's six pm," Ted remarked, his head tilted to the side.

"I know."

"Alright... So," his head raised up to them, "what do you say ?"

"Erm," Brooke turned to Haley, "I know we agreed on a lesser budget, but I think that if we find good jobs, we can manage without ruining ourselves."

"And if you can't, your mother and I can always..."

Brooke turned to her father, shaking her head with a soft smile, "We've talked about this already."

"So you think you can do it ?" Victoria asked them in a serious tone.

She looked at Haley and within a second knew that she was thinking the same thing. "Definitely," she said, linking their arms together.

After they had handled the paperwork, or rather after they had left Ted deal with them, they went back to their hotel. While the rest of them was eating downstairs, Brooke took a shower in the room she was sharing with Haley.

She heard her stomach grumble for the umpteenth time and sighed. Stepping out of the shower stall, she had a slight hope that maybe Lucas had come all the way here to sneak in some food for her. Despite these few meals she had secretly taken, she still felt exhausted, as if she had run a three day marathon.

The good thing was, her father seemed to worry; Brooke had indeed noticed that he was constantly watching her with concern, as if she was about to faint at any moment.

She went to the sink and with her right hand, wiped off the vapour that had condensed on the mirror. Her eyes stopped for a moment on her face, growing wide with shock when she saw how pale she looked, and understood why her father seemed so worried. It could only mean that he was about to give in... Right ?

Brooke heard the door open and close again, and popped her head out to check that it was really Haley who had come back.

"Are you alright ?" Haley asked her.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a minute."

She quickly got into her pyjamas and got out of the bathroom. Haley was sitting on their bed; her head shot up to look at her, her brow furrowing. "You look like a ghost."

"I'm fine," she said with the brightest grin she had in store, "don't worry about me."

"Mmh... And yet Nathan practically begged me to watch over you and let him know if anything happened."

"Anything like what ?"

"Like, if you faint... You know, from hypoglycaemia."

"I'm fine !" she retorted, rolling her eyes. Her stomach decided to loudly state that it didn't agree with her, making them both chuckle. "Alright, I'm super hungry and I'm glad we had an elevator to reach the sixth floor because I would have never climbed all those steps, but I'm fine. And this situation won't last forever, I'm sure my father will become human again very soon." Right when she said the word father, Haley frowned. It lasted only a second, but it was long enough for Brooke to notice it. "What," she said, "what did he say about me ?"

"Nothing," Haley said, hesitating. "Nothing on you."

Brooke held back a sigh. "Did he ask about Nathan and you ? Again ?"

"Yeah... Look, your father's really nice but I'd really like it if he could stop asking me about things that don't concern him."

Brooke opened her mouth, but the words didn't form. She closed it and went to sit next to her. "What did he tell you this time ?"

"He just asked me the same thing," she said with a shrug, "if I thought I knew him enough, and if you and him still got along. I don't know where he's going with this."

"Earlier," Brooke murmured, thinking back, "I thought maybe he was just criticizing me. Pointing out that you didn't know each other a lot to tell me that it was the same for Lucas and me. But, if he also tells you that when I'm not around... It doesn't make sense. At all."

Ever since he had learned about Lucas and her, none of her father's actions had been rational. He had not acted like himself at all; Ted was a calm, reasonable man. He always listened to his daughter, and wasn't quick to judge. The man who had raised her had completely disappeared the minute Lucas had told him he was in love with his daughter, and Brooke really wanted him back.

She bolted up on her feet, striding towards the door. "Where are you going ?" Haley asked her, alarmed.

"I'm gonna get some answers."

 **Nathan Scott**

Nathan sighed with relief when he got home that night and heard no hysteric screams. Instead of another dramatic fight scene, he saw his mother sitting on the couch, watching a random channel.

"Where have you been ?" she asked him when she saw him coming in.

"I went for a match."

"During the whole afternoon ?"

"Yeah... I didn't really want to come home," he said with a shrug before sitting next to her.

Deb's face twisted into a grimace; she put a hand in his hair, like she used to when he was much younger. "I'm sorry, I know I'm imposing a lot on you."

"If that's what it takes to get rid of him, I'm happy to hear you fight." he told her with a reassuring smile. "But next time, even if he drives you mad, maybe you should try not to bail on Karen."

"Wait, Lucas couldn't fill in for me ?" she asked, confused.

"Not this morning, he had a meeting."

"But then how..."

"I took care of it."

"You ?" she asked, surprised.

"Yes, me," he said with a grin.

"Thanks," she told him with relief. "How're things going in Boston ?"

"Haley texted me," he said, checking his phone to see if she hadn't sent him another message, "and they found an apartment they both like."

Which sounded like a miracle to him, considering both girls were so different on many points but were exactly the same when it came to being demanding. "That's great news," Deb said enthusiastically.

"And Dan, where is he now ?"

"At the beach house," she said, her smile now reaching her eyes. "At least this day off got me to keep the house."

 **Brooke Davis**

"It's just me," she said after knocking on her parent's door.

It only took three seconds for her father to open it, his face showing concern. "Is everything alright ?"

"Yeah," she said, walking past him. Her mother was sitting on the bed, her legs spread out in front of her, reading a magazine. She looked over it and seemed surprised to see her barge in. "I just wanted to talk before we got home," she added, turning to her father.

"Ah," he said, making a few steps before leaning on the wall opposite her.

"I want you to stop harassing Haley about Nathan and her. And I'm not asking that for me, but for them, especially Haley. It's _their_ private life."

"I know," he immediately said, "I didn't realise I was being intrusive..."

Victoria snorted, making them both look at her, startled. "Please Ted," she said, shaking her head, "you're more than intrusive."

"Then why didn't you tell me to stop..."

"Lately," she cut him off, "you don't listen to anyone."

Brooke sat on the edge of the bed, a slight smile on her lips. "Mom's right. Which brings me to the real reason I'm here : why are you asking her all these things ? Since when are you so curious ? You never asked me all these things when I was going out with him."

"She's your friend," he said with a frown, "and Nathan is too, so I was just wondering if.."

"Dad, you're a terrible liar, you know that ?"

"I'd like to know what's gotten into you too," Victoria added.

Ted's gaze went back and forth between his wife and daughter nervously, and he eventually rolled his eyes. "It doesn't matter," he said, folding his arms.

"I think it does." Victoria said on an encouraging tone.

"Well... Fine. I was just trying to know if... If they were serious. But I really didn't want to upset Haley, I'll apologize to her."

"Wait..." Brooke said, even more confused now. "Why do you care if their relationship is serious or not ?"

"Because if it's not, then you might have a second chance with him."

For a moment there, Brooke wondered if he was kidding. But his concerned look didn't seem to fade, and she had to admit that he was being very serious. And for the first time in a week, he didn't look like he wanted to strangle Lucas with his own hands.

"Why do you think I'd want a second chance ?"

"Brooke, please," he said as if it was obvious, "I know you."

"And you really think I want to get back together with Nathan ?"

"And you want me to think you don't ? In that case, why would you get with _his brother_ ," he said, emphasising on the last two words, "if not to make him jealous ?"

Brooke turned to her mother who, judging by the stupefied look on her face, hadn't heard his theory before.

So that was it ? He thought she was still in love with Nathan, and that in a desperate attempt to get his attention, she had decided to pursue his brother ? How had he come up with that story ?

Well... If she put herself in his shoes for just a second, she had to admit that it was pretty easy to get to his conclusion. After all, he was still thinking that his daughter had been dating the same boy for two years, and that only a few weeks after she had broken up, she had set her sights on the brother he infamously hated.

"Oh..." she muttered, her hand nervously travelling in her hair. "You're wrong, dad, if I'm with Lucas," she said, ignoring his immediate mood change, "it's because I want to. And I don't care at all what Nathan thinks of that."

To her surprise, Ted gave her a soft, melancholic smile, and came to sit next to her. "That's what you think," he said in a quiet voice.

"And you know better than me what's going on in my head ?"

"Brooke," he sighed, "you're still so young, you can't see it... I've been there too, a very long time ago. Your head makes you think you're in love again right after a break-up so that your heart doesn't..."

"No," she cut him off, "you really don't get it, it's different. What I feel for Lucas... It's completely different from what I had with Nathan."

"Again, it's your head trying to convince you, but... Don't you agree with me ?" he asked to his wife.

"I... It sounds possible, yes," she said, looking at her daughter with a perplex face. "But it doesn't sound possible to you," she asked her, "am I right ?"

Ted glanced at his daughter again, his face filled with benevolence. He seemed so sure of himself, and all he wanted was her good-being...

"Alright," she murmured, looking down at her hands. She just noticed that her fingers had been anxiously fiddling on her lap, and decided to stand up to face them. "there's something you need to know. Nathan and I... We didn't really date."

Victoria raised her eyebrows, slowly took off her glasses and put them down with her magazine on the bedside table. Ted had stopped moving altogether, and seemed like he had even stopped breathing.

"What do you mean ?" Victoria asked.

"We were just pretending."

"Pretending ?" Ted repeated, stunned.

"I know," she said with an apologetic tone, "I shouldn't have lied for so long... But Nathan didn't want his father to know, so he made me promise not to tell you a thing."

"But why..."

"I don't know, in two years he's never told me why he didn't want..."

"No," he cut her off with a frown, "why would you pretend to go out with him ?"

"Oh. Erm, it's just that I got in trouble with a few boys at school, so it seemed like a good idea at that time."

"What boys ? What trouble ?" he asked, his mouth turning into a frown.

"It all ended two years ago."

"But... Then why would do you keep pretending for two whole years ?" her mother asked, her eyes wide open.

"We had a deal. We kept going until one of us fell in love... And that's exactly what happened," she said with a shy smile. "Him with Haley, and me with..."

"Lucas," he breathed out in a mix of astonishment and confusion. "I... I never thought you... I really liked Nathan."

"I know," she said softly, "and he likes you too. But he doesn't love me, not like you thought he did."

"So that means..." he murmured, suddenly looking horrified. "You're actually in love with your teacher ? And he loves you back ?"

"I'm afraid so," she said with a sigh.

"I thought... I thought he also knew you were just trying to get Nathan's attention and he was taking advantage of that... Of you."

"No wonder you got so pissed then," Brooke murmured, looking at her feet.

"Maybe I shouldn't have lost my temper as I did, but Brooke, this doesn't change a thing to the fact that you cannot date your teacher. What happens if your school finds out ?"

"No one will find out," she assured him, "we're not stupid, we know we have to be careful for a while." He opened his mouth but closed it right after, silently contemplating the wall behind her. "Dad, I know you're worried..."

"He's not the only one." Startled, Brooke and her father looked at Victoria, who hadn't moved an inch for the last minutes. "I get it, you know.", she said, looking straight at her daughter. "I haven't been here at all, and you two have a bond that I don't have with you. I get that. But that doesn't mean I'm not worried."

"So, erm..." she said, her cheeks turning pink. "You don't trust Lucas ?"

"I do trust him," she said, confusing her. "I haven't talked much with him, but the few words we've exchanged are enough for me to know that I can trust him. I'm not worried about him, Brooke, I'm worried about you. I don't want you to rush into this."

Brooke opened her mouth, but no word seemed to come out. Victoria hadn't taken sides on this problem, so she had naturally thought that she didn't want to be part of it. But now... She almost sounded as if she was hurt from not being involved. Brooke was so used to living alone with her father that she hadn't even considered that her mother would have a say in this. But she was, after all, her mother. Of course she had a say in this.

"What makes you think I'm rushing ?"

"When did you learn about his feelings ?"

"Erm... Last week."

"And when did you decide to engage in a relationship with him ?"

Oh. That was what she meant by rushing. "Last week," she admitted.

"I'm not saying you don't love him. As a matter of fact, I think it's obvious that you're deeply in love with him, and I can say the same about him."

"You can ?" Ted said, startled.

"But you're not an adult yet," she said, ignoring him. "You're not a child anymore, but _you're not an adult yet_. You'll keep maturing in the coming years. Lucas, on the other hand, is an adult. A young one, yes, but he is still older than you, and more mature than you. And since you've never been with Nathan, that means he's your first serious boyfriend."

"So... You think I should take more time before I..."

"No, Brooke, I just think you should protect yourself a bit more. Protect your heart. That's all I'm saying."

Brooke raised her eyes, meeting her mother's. She was right : everything had happened so fast... From the minute they had confessed their feelings, they hadn't had a minute to catch their breath. And then when they had fought, she had forgiven him so easily... It wasn't like her to do that. The only reason she had given in so fast was because it was Lucas. He could melt her heart with mere words and when he kissed her... Argh, she just wasn't the same anymore, and no one had ever made her feel like this before. Which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but her mother was right, she had to be careful. Emotionally _and_ physically.

"You're right," she sighed.

"You even went on a hunger strike for him," Ted added with a hint of a smile.

Victoria let out a small laugh, taking them aback once again. They looked at her, sitting on the bed, as her laugh got louder and she tried to cover it with her mouth. "I'm sorry," she managed to say between fits of laughter. "But you went on strike for –" she said before bursting into another laugh. Ted's and Brooke's smiles grew wider, until they started laughing too, infected by Victoria's unusual loosening.

It took them a good minute to catch their breaths, and while Ted was wiping away tears of laughter, Brooke came to sit next to him, her mother carefully watching her. "So does this mean I have your approval ? Both of you ?" she added, glancing at Victoria.

Ted became serious again in a heartbeat, "You have half of my approval."

"And approximately three quarters of mine," her mother said mockingly.

"I'm serious. I can't really keep you from being with him, not if you're actually serious about this. But as long as he's still your teacher, I'll never completely trust him. But... I trust you," he said, placing his hands on hers. "Just promise us you'll be careful."

"Thank you !" she cried, jumping in his arms. "Thank you, thank you, thank you !"

"Alright," he said, breaking their embrace, "how about we go get you something to eat now ? How many meals have you missed ?"

"Not that many," she said, standing up, "Lucas gave me some food at school. See, he's not that bad !"

 **Nathan Scott**

Soon after ten pm, his mother decided to go to bed, stating she was exhausted. Apparently fighting with her soon-to-be ex-husband was wearing her out. An hour later, Nathan was still on his couch, playing at a basketball video game. After he had yawned four or five times, he decided it would be his last game of the night and would go to bed after that.

His game had been interrupted a little earlier when Haley had called to give him some news on their trip to Boston, but mainly because Brooke had left for a while and she was starting to worry about her. She had left to talk to her father, and Haley didn't know if it was a good idea to check if they were alright, not willing to bother them. Nathan had advised her to stay where she was, and that as long as she wasn't hearing frequent loud screams, she didn't have to worry. He had then asked her if Brooke had left to talk about Lucas and her, to plead their cause, and to his surprise Haley had said that no, she had left to talk about them. Ted hadn't stopped asking her intrusive questions about their couple and it was seriously starting to bother her. She even was under the impression that he was doing everything he could to prove her that their relationship had no future.

Why would Ted do that ? That didn't sound like him at all. For him not to approve Brooke's relationship was understandable, even if he thought that taking away all her freedom was way over the top, but why would his story with Haley bother him ? Unless he was hoping for Brooke and him to get back together...

In the end, he had told Haley to stop thinking about it and just wait for Brooke's return. They had then talked about their respective days, and when he had told her about Lucas' book, she had been pleasantly surprised. She had immediately asked him if he wanted to read the rest and when he had, after a long silence, admitted that he did, she had told him that she could lend it to him. Nathan hadn't even known she had a copy. That made her laugh, explaining that this book was probably in half of Tree Hill's houses, to the least.

After hanging up, he had gone back to his game that without surprise he lost, his mind constantly going back to the book he hadn't finished reading. How would he have reacted if he had read it when it had been first published, three years ago ? He knew that anyway, the past couldn't be changed, but...

He sat up when he heard a knock on his door. Startled, he got up and prayed that it wasn't the drunken version of his father who was back for another round with his mother. To his relief, it wasn't Dan who had paid him a visit, but Lucas, who oddly seemed to wonder what he was doing here.

"Hey," he said with hesitation, "I know it's late, but... Can I come in ?"

Nathan raised his eyebrows, turned to the stairs, checking that his mother hadn't woken up and come to see who was their late visitor, and waved him to come in.

After Lucas thanked him, he told him to follow him to the living room, where he went back to his place, quickly mimicked by his brother. Nathan's gaze followed him and noticed a little plastic bag he was holding in a hand; he handed it out as soon as he was sitting next to him.

"This is for you. Well, if you want it."

Nathan took it and looked inside : it was his book, the same one he had been reading this morning. "Why are you giving this to me ? It's Brooke's, not mine."

"I figured that maybe you'd like to finish it," he said with a shrug.

How did he know he had been reading it ? He hesitated for a moment, glanced at Lucas and eventually placed the book between them. "You really meant what's in this ?" he asked, looking up at him. "When you say that... That you regret that we weren't there for each other, is that true ?"

"Sure," he said with an off-putting honesty. "Don't you ?"

Nathan furrowed his brow, and with a vague shrug, managed with a lot of trouble to murmur a yes. Even if it was too late to have regrets. On this, Nathan and Lucas had always been on opposite poles. He never looked back on these kind of details. Since it was all in the past, what point was there to dwell on it ?

"Is Dan gone ?"

"For now, yeah," he said, looking up at him.

"Okay... You know why I'm here, don't you ?"

He let out a quiet sigh; of course he knew. Ever since last week, when he had told him in a staircase in Charlotte that Dan had gotten him hired at school, Nathan had cautiously avoided to have this conversation that he knew was important to Lucas.

"I'm thirsty," he said, getting up and startling Lucas, "aren't you ?"

Unsettled for a short moment, Lucas gave him a lopsided smile and nodded before standing up to follow him to the kitchen. As he was sitting at the bar, Nathan walked behind it to open the fridge and take out a six-pack of beer that he placed between them.

"Thanks," Lucas told him, "but is Deb okay with that ?"

"They're Dan's." he answered with a grin.

His right hand slid to a drawer in which he found an opener. He used it for two bottles and handed one to Lucas. He took the other one in a hand and drank a mouthful, aware of Lucas' impatient gaze on him. "I'm not sure of anything," he warned him, "but... It would make sense. Last January, I heard him over the phone with the school head."

"He was speaking of me ?" Lucas asked him with a frown.

"Yeah. You never thought it was weird that they'd hire you as a teacher even though you're absolutely not qualified to be one ? No offence, but..."

"None taken. And I did wonder," he said, watching his beer, "of course I wondered about that, but I figured... That since I'm from here, they knew me well and trusted me."

Nathan raised an eyebrow. "When you hadn't even applied for the job, they'd serve it to you on a silver platter ?"

"Fine," he admitted with a sigh, "I knew it was weird, but my ego liked it."

"From what I heard," Nathan added, "Dan suggested to hire you. The rest of the board was against it, but he insisted until they gave in."

Lucas' gaze was getting more and more distant. Nathan let him take in everything he had just said, and kept drinking his beer. "Why would he do that ?" he eventually asked, confusion spreading on his face.

Nathan felt a sudden lump in his throat. He looked down to his hands, nervously playing with his drink. "Because you're his favourite son." he murmured.

There, he had said it, and the world wasn't crumbling down around him. "Dan has one son, and one only," Lucas said, raising his eyebrows, "you know that."

"No," he insisted, "he doesn't. If that's what he thinks, why does he spend half of his time comparing us ?"

"Comparing us ?" he repeated, befuddled.

"Yeah," he said bitterly, still not looking up, "believe it or not, your name is the only one on his lips."

"But... But he's never talked to me !" he cried, bemused. "The two sentences he said in Charlotte were the first words he told me since... Since he left my mother."

Wait... What ? They had never talked after that ? They hadn't talked in almost eighteen years ? "Are you... sure ?" he asked, though aware that question was dumb.

Nathan looked up and saw that Lucas was as confused and lost as himself. "Certain."

"Then why... Why did he take me to all your games ?"

"Huh ? My games ?"

"When you were in junior high... He used to take me to your games."

Lucas' eyes opened wide and went down to his fingers, strongly clutching his drink. He took a sip, and then another, and finally said, "I really don't get it... It doesn't make any sense. He's never done anything to be part of my life, or my mother's. And it turns out he talks about me non-stop ?"

"No, not exactly," Nathan said, shaking his head.

"But, you just said that..."

"He compares us, but without talking about you. I don't know how to explain it... Whenever he wants to criticize me, he brings you up. Lucas had better notes. Lucas behaved better than that. Lucas never missed a shot. He never really talks about _you_."

Lucas slowly nodded, apparently lost in his thoughts, finished his beer and took another out of the pack. "No wonder you hate me, then," he eventually said with a sigh.

"I don't hate you," he corrected. "I mean, not anymore."

"Have you ever told someone about this ?"

"Haley knows, I've told her a few weeks ago," he said in a murmur. "Brooke doesn't know."

This didn't seem to surprise Lucas, for he simply nodded again. "Wanna know what I think ?"

"Shoot me."

"I think you're wrong. You're seeing this on the wrong side, but that's natural considering your position. Dan doesn't care about me. Never has, never will." he said firmly.

"Then why would he..."

"Because he wanted this," he said, his hand moving back and forth between them.

"This ?" he repeated, puzzled. "This what ?"

"I think his biggest failure would be that you," he pointed at him, "his only legitimate child to his eyes, acknowledges me as family."

Maybe it was the third beer he had just started that was making him say that, but Nathan didn't take his words lightly.

It was... possible. It actually made sense. It explained why Dan kept saying to anyone who listened that Lucas was nothing to him and yet always talked about him. Despite the consistency of his explanation, part of him hoped he was wrong, for that would mean that all this time, he had been his father's puppet, and that it had taken him eighteen years to free himself. Eighteen years to wake up and stop living under his thumb.

"You know," Lucas said, looking down at his drink, "I have spent twenty two years thinking that there was always a remote possibility that my father cared about me."

"Sorry to disappoint you," he murmured with genuine regret.

"I'm actually relieved," he added, looking surprised by his own words. "It's weird, but maybe... Maybe because it was only a small part of me that was hoping, I feel like I was just relieved of a burden. Thank you."

"You're welcome," he mumbled awkwardly.

"No seriously, thank you." he repeated with a slight smile. "I know it cost you a lot to tell me this."

And he should have done it a long time ago. If he had known that telling Lucas would help him to finally understand his father's odd behaviour... "And I owe you an apology. Well, I owe you a long list of apologies," he admitted with hesitation. "I've been a jerk to you since you came back..."

"I used to be one with you too, remember ?"

"But you grew up, eventually. I didn't."

"You just did," he said with a kind tone. "You know what, I'll forgive you if you tell me one more thing."

"What ?"

"Why did you come up with that deal to Brooke ?"

What deal ? Oh... That. "Didn't she tell you ? We both had stalkers so..."

"No," Lucas said, startling him. "I want to know the real reason."

Nathan gulped, a multitude of questions coming to his mind. How did he even know he had been lying to Brooke about this ? And he wasn't just bluffing, no, he looked 100 percent sure that Nathan had been lying all this time. Was it some kind of brotherly gift, could he read his mind ? Because it really looked like he was reading his mind.

If he were to tell him the truth, he knew Lucas would then tell everything to Brooke. He sighed inwardly; he had already kept the truth away from her for far too long, and now that their friendship was finally back to normal, he simply didn't want to ruin it again.

"Alright..." he sighed.

 **Lucas Scott**

"... and I kind of forgot why I had even started this, so I never told her."

Lucas lowered his head, staring at Nathan's hands. They were nervously twitching around the beer he had been drinking.

He needed time to process what he had just been told. He had known already that Dan had had a huge influence on Nathan, and unfortunately a nasty one, but... To think that he would go as far as getting a fake girlfriend to get him off his back ? How messed up was that ?

At least now, it all made sense, in a very weird way. He needed a stand-in girlfriend to convince Dan that he had matured a lot, and he had chosen... Wait a minute.

"Why her ?"

"Huh ?" Nathan said, confused.

He looked up at him, doing his best to stay calm. "Why did you chose her ?"

"I just told you, she had some stalkers she needed to get rid of..."

"But that's not it, right ? You wanted to impress _Dan_."

Dan, who had dared to make a move on her. Nathan seemed to realise where he was going with this, for he raised his eyebrows and jumped up on his feet with wide eyes, "Wow ! What ? You think I'd... No ! No, no, no ! Are you insane ?!"

"So you're saying you didn't pick her because you knew Dan would like her ?" he asked, squinting.

"NO !" he shouted, shaking his head. "I mean yeah, I knew Dan would like her, but as he would like one of my friends ! I never, NEVER, thought he'd ever try anything weird with her, and if I had, I would have never let him near her ! You have to believe me !"

"I..." he sighed, torn between the need of punching him for making a decision that eventually led to getting Brooke in a very uncomfortable position with Dan, and the knowledge that it was utterly stupid to be mad at him for that. Of course Nathan had never thought Dan was capable of hitting on high school girls. "I believe you."

Nathan seemed to be relieved, but when he sat back across him, he still looked a little wary of him. "Good." he said, taking another sip of his beer. "Look, I'll tell her myself that..."

"Don't." The word had slipped out of his mind, surprising them both.

"Why ? I thought you'd absolutely want to tell her."

"Just... Not now. After what Dan did..." he sighed. "Don't tell her now, please."

Nathan frowned, then seemed to see his point. "Alright. I won't tell her now. But if she's mad at me for hiding it from her all this time, you'll have to help me out."

"Deal," he said with a grin, bumping their fists together. "By the way, have you heard from..."

He stopped when Mick Jagger's voice rose up from his jeans, taking them both aback. He took out his mobile, wondering who could be calling him this late, and let his jaw drop when he saw the name of his caller.

"Speak of the devil..." he muttered, bewildered. Nathan looked at him quizzically, but he simply grinned and took the call. "Hey," he said, feeling strangely nervous. Fuck, what if it was her father ?

"Hey," he heard the familiar raspy voice say. "Guess who's got her phone back ?"

He laughed, mouthing at Nathan that it was Brooke calling. He smiled and raised his bottle up. "Nathan says hi."

"Nathan ?" she repeated, confused. "How do you know Nathan says hi ?"

"Because I'm sitting right in front of him."

She laughed, and he could easily picture her shaking her head. "Yeah, right."

"I'm serious, he's right here." She chuckled, and he heard her say to someone next to her, probably Haley, that he was just spouting nonsense. Lucas raised his phone while his brother leaned over, "Hey Brookie," he said in the mic.

The laughing stopped all together, making them chuckle. "Wait, you're really with him ? What are you doing together ?"

"Just talking about the great matters of life over a beer," he said, putting the phone back to his ear. "I'll tell you about it later, don't worry. What's going on, how did you get your phone back ? Did you steal it ?"

"No," she said with another laugh, "my dad gave it back."

He just gave it back ? Why ? Why would he give her back a way to communicate with... Oh. "He's changed his mind ?!" he cried, startling Nathan who gestured him to lower his voice, and then pointed at the ceiling. Right, Deb was probably sleeping upstairs.

"Yeah, well he's still wary of you, and it will probably take a long, long time for you to gain his trust but... He's okay with us."

"He's okay with us," he repeated quietly. "For real ?" he whispered, closing his eyes.

"For real."

He heard a sound and when he opened his eyes, Nathan was quietly leaving the kitchen, closing the door behind him. "When will you be back ?"

"Tomorrow morning," she said before suddenly hesitating. "Erm, Luke, there's something I want to tell you..."

"What is it ?"

"Well, when I talked to my parents about you, they made a very good point. They think I'm rushing into... this. And I think I am, too."

"Broo–"

"I know what this sounds like," she hastily added, "but it's not what you think. I'm not trying to end things at all. I just... I don't know how to say this without hurting you but..."

"Brooke." he said, holding back a laugh. "It's okay, I get it. We'll take all the time you need, I promise. I won't rush you into anything."

"I knew you'd say that," she said quietly, "but it still took me an hour to call you. I mean, I'm telling you I want us to go slow when we won't even be able to meet a lot in the next weeks. With my finals, I'm gonna be studying a lot and..."

"Even if you weren't busy, we can't meet a lot Brooke, so really, it's fine. And now that you have your phone, we can talk as much as we want." he added with a grin. "Actually..." He suddenly felt like writing; his hand was twitching, aching to hold a pen. "You might get something else than a phone call."

"What ?" she said, puzzled. "What are you talking about ?"

"You'll see," he said with a chuckle.

"Mmh... Okay," she said, sounding uncertain. "I have to go now, Haley's tired and she can't sleep if I'm talking aloud. Yeah you are," she said to her friend, "you've been dozing for ten minutes now. G'night Luke."

She hung up before he could say anything. He put his phone back in his pocket, feeling wide awake now. Good, that meant he could start writing when he'd get home.

He got up and walked to the living room, where Nathan was silently sipping the rest of his beer, sitting on his couch.

"I'm gonna go." Nathan looked over his shoulder and when he saw him, got up from his seat. "Thanks for... everything," he said. "So, erm..." he hesitated, "do you want to keep the book ?"

Nathan gave a quick glance towards it and looked up at him, giving him a casual shrug. "Sure. I can't wait to see how it ends." he said, making them both chuckle.

* * *

Sooo, what do you think ? I had a lot of trouble writing that scene with the brothers, so I hope the result is good enough ! There's only one chapter left now... It's really gonna be weird when I finish writing it. I don't know how long it'll take, I'm gonna try to make it fast, next weekend if possible, but I can't promise anything :/

Thank you so so much for your reviews and PMs, you guys are awesome ! Thank you for reading :)


	16. One dance

**ONE DANCE**

 **Brooke Davis**

Holding her tray in one hand, she used the other to put down on the table in front of her the drinks and food it held, a warm smile stuck on her lips.

"There you go", she told her three clients, "enjoy your drinks."

She turned around and went around the bar to put away her tray. Scanning the room, she saw that no one needed her for now and decided to walk to her friends, who had been sitting in circle around a table, several books wide open between them.

Their finals were next week, and it was already Thursday afternoon, which only left them with three more days to cram. Lucas had generously offered them to help them with literature, and had thus prepared a series of questions for them. It was easier to meet at the Café, since the both of them were working tonight.

When she walked up to to them, she sat next to Peyton and took a question sheet. She picked a pen from Nathan's and started working.

"Wait, I don't get it," Nathan said to their teacher, who was standing across him, "question 5, do you expect a detailed answer ? Or just a few words ?"

"One sentence."

Brooke held back a smile; she was still not used to seeing them having a normal, civilized conversation, without Nathan glowering at his brother or storming off. It had been what, ten days, a little more, since they had started working on a healthy brotherly relationship. At first, Brooke had not believed him when Lucas had told her, the day she had come back from Boston, what had happened at Nathan's house. And then Nathan had told her the same thing. Well, clearly they hadn't become best friends forever in a single night, but... It was a promising start. An awkward, promising start.

"Hey can we really say that epistolary novels are neglected ?" Peyton asked him, raising her head. "Even though _some people_ are quite fond of it ?" she said, with a quick, stealthy glance towards her.

Oh, damn her. Brooke knew she looked really red now, and hoped no one would notice. Her eyes drifted to Lucas, who was about to answer, but stopped when he saw her flustered expression. He shot her a quizzical look, making her blush even harder, which she hadn't thought was physically possible.

She bolted on her feet, startling them all. "I, erm..." she stuttered, her eyes avoiding them. "I gotta get something... Back there."

She strode away, her heart racing at a maddening speed, under her friends' confused looks. Well, except for Peyton, who looked really proud of herself. She was the only one to know about the letter she had received from Lucas. It had been waiting for her in her mailbox, last week. That was what he had meant by 'something else' when they had talked almost two weeks ago, right after she had gotten her phone back from her father.

She reached the stockroom and rushed into it, closing the door behind her. Leaning on the wall next to her, she closed her eyes, trying to slow her heart rate. To think that with mere words, he could get her to stop thinking straight around him... She didn't know how he could do this, to open his heart and lay it bare. He wasn't scared to do it, contrary to her; the very idea that he could know what she was feeling right now was terrifying her. She needed her walls to keep a cool head. Though lately, her walls were of no use when it came to him...

She got pulled from her thoughts when the door opened; Lucas let himself in, shutting the door.

"Is something wrong ?" he asked her with a light grin.

"No, I'm fine," she said, instinctively taking a step back. "Why are you here ?"

"I'm just wondering what's got you this flustered," he said, walking toward her.

"Nothing that concerns you," she replied, avoiding his gaze, "you should go back to the others, they might need you..."

"Mmh, funny," he said, ignoring her words, "I thought it had something to do with my letter."

"Your... Your letter ? What the... Why would it..." she muttered, losing the tiny bit of composure she had left.

He chuckled, "If I'd known you'd like it so much, I would have written the second one a lot earlier."

"Look, I don't know what you're trying to say, but..." she stopped, his words echoing in her head. "The second one ?" she repeated, puzzled. His grin got wider as he took an envelope from behind his back, where he had been hiding it so far. Before she could even think of what she was doing, she walked the few steps separating them and snatched the letter from him. "Thanks," she whispered, tugging it in her apron.

And now she had to wait until she was home to read it... Talk about mental torture. "I hope you'll like it too," he said with a lopsided smile.

He leaned over her and gave her a soft, quick kiss. Brooke closed her eyes, feeling his hands on her hips. They hadn't touched in days. For obvious reasons, they had decided by joint agreement not to meet at school, nor outside of school unless it was really necessary, and that whenever they'd meet, they would keep their distance. No sweet words, no secret meetings at lunch, no flirting in the Café. Well, they had just broken that rule but so far, they had faithfully stuck to them.

It was hard, though, way more than she had initially thought, to keep their hands off each other. Especially when they were working together, sitting right next to each other. Sure, they spent a lot of time over the phone, but still... A little touching didn't hurt.

She let out a quiet sigh, placing her hands on his chest. She knew they had to come out of there and go back to their work, to sitting around a table, acting as if they were just friends, but she didn't want to, not now. Now, she really wished time would stop so they could spend more time in this room, just the two of them.

He looked down at her, a slight smile on his lips, and with a soft movement lifted her chin and brought their lips together, though with more ardor this time. He pulled her body to his, diminishing the distance between them to the strict minimum and gently pushed her to the wall, cupping her face with one hand, the other strongly holding her against him. His mouth smoothly moved below hers, leaving a trail of kisses on her jawline all the way up to her ear.

"God, you're driving me crazy Brooke." he whispered, his warm breath tickling her.

 _She_ was driving _him_ crazy ? "Luke..."

The door swiftly opened, bringing them back to reality. Lucas had great reflexes; he immediately jerked away from her and took fast steps back; too fast probably, for he bumped his head into a shelf behind him. He cursed, rubbing his head where it had been hit.

Brooke turned to the door, where the person who had interrupted them was standing. Her boss. Lucas' mother.

 _Fuck_.

Her mind went blank, and apparently so did Lucas' : they both stared at her silently, unable to utter a word. Brooke gulped, waiting for the storm coming at them.

Except it didn't come. Not even a small breeze. Karen kept a straight face, as if nothing had happened at all. As if she hadn't just seen her son kissing her employee, who also happened to be his student. Instead of getting angry, or even shocked, she simply glanced at them, then turned to Brooke.

"Can you pass me a kitchen foil ? I'm out of it."

Kitchen foil ?

Kitchen foil.

It took her another second to regain her composure, get out of her trance, and spin around to grab the first roll she could reach. She then handed it to Karen, who took it with a grateful smile.

"Thanks," she told her, turning around to exit the room. She didn't immediately go out, though. Her hand froze on the doorknob and she watched them over her shoulder. "I want you both in the kitchen after closing."

She quietly closed the door, leaving them with horrified faces.

 **Peyton Sawyer**

Peyton glanced at Julian who was leaning over his sheet, scratching the bridge of his nose. He probably wasn't even aware of it, but that was a an habit of his whenever he was thinking hard about something. She inwardly smiled, amused. She had spent a great weekend with him, while the girls had been in Boston. Everything with him seemed so... natural. She did her best not to roll her eyes at that thought. He was just so passionate about so many things. They had spent an entire evening talking about movie soundtracks, and apparently John Williams had no secrets for him.

She went back to her question sheet, reading question nine. Haley, who was sitting next to her, gave her a slight nudge; when she looked up at her, she simply gestured her with a head movement to look at the bar.

Lucas had just came back from wherever he had found Brooke, probably the storage room, quickly followed by her. Something was wrong... With a frown, she noticed that he was as white as a sheet, as if he had just seen a ghost, and Brooke... Well, Brooke looked like she was freaking out. Lucas walked to them and opened his mouth, though no word seemed to come out of it, only a mix of weird sounds that made no sense. He cleared his throat twice, and this time managed to ask them if they were done.

Something was definitely off, and Haley seemed to think so too. After exchanging a knowing look, she looked at him, holding out her paper. "I'm done."

"What ?!" Nathan exclaimed, his heat shooting up. "Already ? I'm only half done !" he cried, sharing the same panicked look with Julian.

That managed to relax Lucas a little bit, as he flashed a grin. "Don't worry, she's always in advance."

Peyton turned her attention to her best friend, who still looked very nervous. She went from the register to a table, where she handed some clients their check. She turned around, and stopped in her tracks when they called out to her, stating that she had gotten the wrong check. She stared at them, bemused, then took back the small piece of paper in her hands and after less than a second realized her mistake. She frowned, apologized profusely even though her clients didn't seem mad at her but rather confused by her reaction, and sped up to get them the real check.

Her eyes traveled to Lucas, who was reading Haley's answers, his brow remaining furrowed; that was most probably not because of her answers.

"Is everything okay ?" she asked him in a murmur. He looked up at her, startled, and gave her a quick nod.

"Really ?" Nathan asked him. "Cause you look like shit." How tactless could one be ? "Not that I'm particularly worried about you, huh..." he added, a bit embarrassed.

A few minutes later, Brooke was back sitting next to her, finishing her sheet with a lingering feverish look. What the hell had happened in that storage room ?

One of the many good thing about being friends for so long was that they didn't need words to communicate. She gave her a nudge, startling her, and with a quizzical look, asked her what was going on. Brooke answered with another look that meant she would tell her all about it later, when she'd have time to do so. Or when she'd processed what had happened.

So... It was bad enough for her to freak out, but not enough that she could contain her panic.

"I'm done too," she told Lucas, handing out her paper.

 **Brooke Davis**

The last clients had left a few minutes ago, and now that she was done cleaning the room, her friends were about to leave too. They had all gathered their stuff and slowly made their way to the door. Brooke followed closely, but didn't step out of the Café.

Peyton turned to her, surprised. "You're not coming ?"

"No, I have to talk to Karen," she said, doing her best not to sound too anxious. "G'night."

Peyton frowned a bit, but eventually shrugged and walked off. She let out a sigh, closed the door and after turning the door sign to its closed side and pulling down the shutters, leaned on the door.

For a short moment, she contemplated taking to her heels before anyone could notice she was gone. Lucas was already in the kitchen, which meant they were both waiting for her.

How unlucky could they get ? The one time they slipped in the past days, they had to be discovered by Lucas' mother. Her boss. Oh gosh, she was gonna get fired. But worse than that, Karen was probably hating her now. Maybe she was one of these mothers who loathed any girl who dared to get their hands on their sons. That didn't sound like Karen at all, but who knows, she might be full of surprises.

She sighed, leaned forward and decided it was time to meet her. Geez, she felt like a cow heading to a slaughterhouse. Images of endless rows of cows waiting to be slaughtered flashed in her mind, as she remembered a documentary she had watched with her father. Those poor animals had no idea what they were...

What the hell was she thinking about now ? Karen was about to unleash her wrath on her, and all she could think of was cows ?!

When she entered the kitchen, Karen raised her eyes to her. Brooke noticed she was sitting around the stainless steel counter top, across from her son, who turned to her when he noticed his mother's gaze shifting. She froze, wondering what she was supposed to do now, until Karen gestured her to come sit between them. She silently obeyed, her eyes drifting to her feet, feeling unable to look at her straight in the eyes.

Great, now she felt nauseous.

No one said a word for what seemed to her like an eternity. It probably only lasted a few seconds, but in Brooke's deformed reality, it didn't seem to end, until it did.

"So..." Karen said, breaking the silence. "How long has this been going on ?"

Thankfully, Lucas answered for them. She didn't think she could speak even if she had wanted to. "Since Charlotte."

His face had gone white when his mother had walked on them, and he had stayed nervous and edgy for almost an hour after that, but he had gradually managed to calm down. When he had left their group to meet Karen, he had almost seemed relaxed. Maybe it was just a facade. Or maybe he was confident his mother wouldn't be mad at them. After all, he knew her way better than Brooke did, she _was_ his mother.

"And who knows about you ?"

"Her parents, Nathan, Peyton."

Brooke cleared her throat. "And... Julian and Haley," she added with a frighteningly high-pitched voice. She stubbornly kept looking at her hands, which were now insanely sweaty.

"And now me," Karen told them.

"Mom," Lucas said after a while, "I know what you're going to say, that we're too reckless and..."

"Oh I'm pretty sure you've already gotten this speech from Ted. Is that..." she said hesitantly. "Is that why you were grounded so harshly ?" She didn't need to look at her to know that this question was directed to her. She nodded, still not looking up. "I suppose you wanted to tell him ?" she asked her son, who also nodded. "And I guess I don't need to tell you that if your school finds out..."

"They won't," Lucas told her in a firm, unwavering tone. "We know we have to be careful, we barely even talk at school now. Mom, I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner but –"

"But you didn't," she cut him off, "instead, you were flirting at work. So..."

"So I'm fired ?" Brooke said, finally having the guts to look at her boss.

She looked taken aback by her remark, almost as much as Lucas. "Fired ?" she repeated, dumbfounded. "Why would you be fired ?"

To her utmost surprise, Brooke didn't see any animosity in her face, nor any disappointment. She looked... Well, she just looked normal. Why wasn't she mad at them ? Why didn't she even look surprised ? Or did she simply have a tremendous poker face ?

"Because I... We," she corrected, "kept the truth from you and..."

"Brooke", she interrupted her with a chuckle she hadn't expected, "you were absent for just a week and it was absolute chaos here. So no, you're not fired. I would be out of my mind if I decided to fire you."

She really sounded sincere. "You don't hate me ?"

"Hate you ?" she said with another light laugh. "No," she shook her head, "I don't hate you. I get why you're scared of my reaction, but... Lucas is an adult now and I know I've raised him well. And you... Well you're simply the most mature person of your age I know, and I like to think that's thanks to your job and responsibilities here." And she was right to think so. "I don't think I have a say in what you decide, if you've both thought this through, then fine. However..." However ? However what ? She shot an alarmed look on Lucas, her anxiety rising up again. "Luke can you go at the front ?" she asked her son. "I'd like to tell her something in private. You can drop her off after that." Lucas opened his mouth and closed it right after, his eyes shifting between his mother and Brooke. Karen rolled her eyes, "I swear I won't bite her."

He looked at Brooke again, relief crossing his face, then back at his mother. "Alright," he said with a shrug, "I'll see you at home."

Brooke gave him a desperate look that he apparently was oblivious to, and resigned herself to watch him leave. Once he was gone, she fought back her instinct to run and faced Karen again. "However," she continued right where she had left, "I think I can still tell you this. Whatever happens with my son, good or bad, you will always be like family to me. Which means you'll always be welcome here, never doubt that."

Her heart stopped for a second, but not out of fear this time. Karen had probably no idea how much these words she had just said meant to her... Or maybe she did, and that was precisely why she had told her this.

She had been like a second mother to her, ever since she had started working here. Sure, they hadn't known each other for that long, only a little more than three years, but Karen had since had a huge impact on her. With her mother-like attitude and Victoria's absence, she had quickly gotten attached to her. So her opinion mattered a great deal to her.

Now at ease, Brooke smiled in gratitude. She hesitated a bit and then asked, "Is it me, or you're not very surprised ?"

"I'm not," Karen admitted with a lopsided grin. "I guessed a long time ago that Lucas was seeing you as more than just a student or a friend. It was just a few details I noticed... He got nervous whenever I talked about you," she said shaking her head. "You, I didn't know." Wow, she sure had some strong maternal instincts. "So I guess your parents are okay with this, since you can work again ?"

"Yeah," she said with a slight smile, "you know my father, he's not entirely reassured, but... He's slowly getting used to that idea. I should probably go before he gets worried..." she said, stepping back from the counter top.

"Of course, I"ll see you tomorrow." she said, her tone indicating it was more like a question.

"Yeah, we're meeting for maths."

Brooke stood up, ready to leave, but stopped when Karen asked her, "One last thing, how's Nathan ?"

"Nathan ?" she repeated, raising an eyebrow. "He's fine, why ?"

She waved her hand in a vague movement. "Oh, you know, with his parents' divorce..."

"Oh that ! He's actually been in a great mood thanks to that." she said with a grin. Most children were depressed by their parents' divorce, but it was quite the opposite for Nathan. It was like Christmas had come early for him. From what he had told her, his parents would keep fighting for a few more weeks but it was official, they were putting an end to their marriage.

"Good," Karen said, looking relieved. "I was a bit worried, but I shouldn't be surprised he's taking it well, from what Deb tells me about Dan and what I already know from him esp – Brooke, what's wrong ? You look pale."

"I... I'm okay." she managed to murmur. "Just a bit tired." She had completely forgotten about _Dan_... How was that possible ?

"Are you sure ?" she asked, standing up with a concerned expression.

"Yeah," she said with a strained smile before waving her good-bye.

 **Lucas Scott**

His hands on the wheel, Lucas gave a quick look to Brooke, who was sitting next to him. She had stayed silent the entire time since they'd left the Café; she had come back from the kitchen, her face having lost the few colors it had regained when Karen had talked to them, and hadn't said a word at all. He didn't know what his mother had told her, and he knew she had wanted to talk to her in private for a very good reason and that he had to respect that, but...

"Are you okay ?" he asked her. She didn't flinch, facing her window, which made him think she was deeply lost in her thoughts "Brooke ?" Still no answer. He stretched out his right arm and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, Br–" She jumped abruptly; he took away his hand, startled, as she was regaining her composure, her eyes drifting to him, bewildered. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"You didn't," she said, shaking her head. "Sorry, I was... thinking."

"Everything okay ?"

"Yes," she said with a smile.

He frowned, noticing that he couldn't see her dimples. That couldn't be good... "Alright," he said, pulling over to her house. He put on the handbrake, unbuckled his seat belt, and turned to face her. "Did my mom say something that awful to you ?"

It wouldn't be very logical, seeing as Karen had taken their relationship so well. "Huh ? No, she... She was nice. She's always nice to me."

"So what is it ?" he asked, squinting at her. "What are you brooding over ?"

"I'm not..." she started saying.

"Yeah you are," he cut her off with a with a playful grin, "and believe me, it doesn't suit you."

Thankfully, this seemed to lighten her mood. "It's nothing, just that... Your mother mentioned Dan, and..." she stopped for a second, her brow furrowing, once again looking upset. "I hadn't thought about him since..."

"Charlotte," he said for her.

"Yes. I... I just hadn't thought about him at all."

And she hadn't talked about him either. During their long conversations, not once had she mentioned his name, and neither had he; he'd rather put him in his past once and for all. He placed his hands on hers, "Brooke..."

"I'm fine," she replied, looking straight in his eyes. "Don't worry, I'm fine," she added with a smile, before rushing out to her house.

Still no dimples to see.

 **Peyton Sawyer**

"She knows ?" Peyton asked, her eyes growing wide with surprise.

"She knows." Brooke said with a nod.

"And she doesn't mind ?"

Her friend, sitting across from her, shook her head. "Nope."

"Who knows what ?" someone asked them.

They both raised their heads at the same time and watched Nathan walk around their table to sit next to Brooke. He squinted and moved a bit, blinded by the sun.

Peyton looked around them, making sure no one from the neighboring tables could hear them before she answered. "Karen knows about Brooke and... You-know-who."

"She does ?!" he cried, his jaw dropping.

"Yeah, she does," Brooke told him with a shrug, contrasting with their shock.

"But how ?"

"She, erm... She saw us... Anyway, it doesn't matter how, the thing is she knows."

"Who knows what ?"

This time, it was Haley who had joined them, slipping between Nathan and her.

"Karen knows about Brooke and You-know-who." Nathan told her.

"Oh," she said with surprise, "how did she react ?"

"Quite well," Peyton answered, sensing that Brooke was tired of repeating herself.

Which, in the end, wasn't that surprising. Well, a little bit, but knowing Karen, she wouldn't have expected her to forbid them to see each other. Now she knew why they had both looked so sullen last night.

"Haley, do you want to come with us to get a dress ?" she asked her, remembering she had been meaning to ask her for a while now.

Nathan and Brooke both shot her the same confused look. "A dress for what ?" Nathan asked.

"Come with _us_?" Brooke said at the same time.

"Prom, remember ?" Haley told him with an amused grin, shaking her head. "It's in exactly two weeks."

This year, Tree Hill's prom was being held very late. Apparently, the main supplier their school usually worked with had bailed on them on short notice, and the organization team had had to find a solution. Either they had a cheap prom in late April, or they had a prom worthy of the name and postponed after their finals. It didn't take them long to decide which option to go with.

She turned to Brooke, who still looked confused. "What, you don't want to go dress hunting together ?" In fact, she was surprised Brooke hadn't talked about this herself _and_ sooner.

"Erm... Yeah," she replied evasively, "I guess so."

She guessedso ? _Guessed_ ? "Brooke, are you sure you..."

"I gotta go to the library," she cut her off, hastily standing up, "to get a... A book. For this weekend. See you."

Before anyone could tell her anything, she strode off. "What got into her ?" Nathan mused out loud.

Haley watched her walk away until she couldn't be seen anymore and turned to Peyton, a frown appearing on her forehead. "You know what ? She acted like that too when I told her about prom, on our way to Boston. We were on a plane so she didn't storm off, but she changed the subject right away."

"Wow, wait," Nathan said, shaking his head, "since when is Brooke Davis unwilling to talk about prom ?"

Nathan had a point; it really wasn't like her to do that...

Peyton had to wait until their classes were over and they had all gathered at the Café once again, this time to cram maths. Haley was serving that evening and was thus juggling with her clients and their table, just as Brooke had done the day before.

After solving a long list of exercises, they decided to take a well-deserved break. As they were waiting for Nathan to come back with drinks, Peyton leaned back on her chair and glanced at Brooke.

"So, Brooke, have you looked for a dress already ?"

She turned to her, slightly frowning. "Not really, no. I had other things to think of."

"Really ?" Julian said, surprised. "I thought you were the kind to look for one three months in advance !"

"Well you were wrong," she said, vexed, her frown dangerously deepening. Peyton stared at her, raising an eyebrow, making her friend look uneasy, "What..." she said a bit sheepishly. "He is wrong. A little. Kind of."

"Brooke..."

"Alright, fine !" she exclaimed, rolling her eyes. "That's exactly the kind of thing I would do ! But three months ago... Three months ago stuff happened and I forgot about prom. And now..."

"Now what ?" she asked her, realizing she wasn't going to finish her sentence.

Brooke's mouth turned into a frown, as she hesitantly said, "Now I don't feel like going anymore."

She didn't feel like ? Brooke Davis didn't feel like going to her prom ? "Who are you and what have you done to my best friend ?"

Brooke rolled her eyes at her dramatic tone. "I just... Lack the motivation, alright ? And it doesn't help that they moved it to after our finals..."

"So if it had been before, you would have gone ?"

She sighed, slowly shaking her head, "I don't know..."

"Erm," Julian said awkwardly, motioning to get up, "I'll leave you two to–"

"No," Brooke ordered him with a death stare, "you stay right where you are !" He didn't dare to disobey, his eyes widening like a scared puppy's. "I don't want to go, alright ? Happy ?"

No she wasn't happy, but rather puzzled. "But why ? Brooke we've been talking about this night since we were seven !"

"I know !" she cried. "But things are different, and..." She hesitated again, looking down at her hands. "And I don't want to go if I can't go with the partner I want." she added in a murmur.

"Oh." was all she managed to say. How had she not realized it sooner ? She exchanged a glance with Julian, before turning to her friend. "Brooke, I'm sure he'd like you to go..."

"And I'd like to go with him, but we can't always get what we want, can we ? Sorry P," she added with an apologetic face, "I know we've been talking about this forever, but... I'm not going."

That's where she was wrong; yes, they had been talking about prom since they'd been kids, but it was always Brooke who had wanted to go the most. She was the one to get excited about it. Peyton was mostly just following her steps. And if Brooke stuck to her decision not to go, she would definitely come to regret it sooner or later, even if she couldn't see it for now.

Nathan came back with Haley and their drinks. Brooke took her lemonade and started sipping it, looking all sheepish, and didn't utter another word. They both looked at her, then turned to Peyton with a ton of questions filling their eyes, but she simply shrugged at them and grabbed her coffee.

 **Brooke Davis**

She had insisted to take her shift that afternoon; Karen had told her again, and again, that it was okay for her not to come this Saturday afternoon, since her finals were just around the corner. It had taken her ten good minutes to convince her boss that even if she had stayed home, she wouldn't have worked on anything. She wasn't going to learn anything new now, so she might as well get a distraction, and what better distraction than her job with a nice novel ?

She checked her cellphone when it moved on the bar, with the intention to ignore whoever it was who was texting her. Probably Peyton telling her how big of a mistake she was making by not going to their prom.

Her attention shifted to her phone when she saw that it was Lucas who had texted her. He had just gotten out of his school meeting where he had been taught how to distribute papers. She could easily picture him rolling his eyes while writing that. And now that he was free, he was about to come by at the Café.

She had to control herself not to jump from her chair. Secretly, she was hoping for a third letter. The second one had been different from the first, more... More sensual. She didn't know how a letter could be sensual, but clearly Lucas knew how to write them. Maybe he'd even write an epistolary novel after that.

She raised her head when she heard the doorbell and watched her new clients as they walked in and hesitated as to where to sit. When they had made up their minds, she put her book away and walked to them. With a swift movement, she took her notepad from her apron and grabbed the pencil that was hiding behind her ear. She didn't take long to give them the espressos and crumble they wanted. When she walked back to the register with an empty tray, she noticed that Deb was now sitting there.

Brooke walked up to her and sat across from her, her back facing the clients. "You're already done with the accounting ?"

"For now, yes," Deb shrugged. "You can go, I'll stay..."

"Nah, I'm staying too," she cut her off with a smile. "So," she asked, curious, "how's your new life of free–"

They had barely realized someone was coming in, that a loud voice yelled, "A RESTRAINING ORDER ?!"

Deb watched over Brooke's shoulder and opened her eyes wide, instinctively stepping back. Brooke didn't need to turn around ; she had easily recognized Dan's voice, whose feet were quickly stomping towards them.

"A restraining order ?" he repeated, standing next to Brooke. "Are you out of your goddamn mind ?"

She stealthily glanced at him; he hadn't noticed her yet, so maybe she could silently slip away. She wasn't comfortable with watching them fight when she knew she had been the catalyst of their divorce. And more importantly, she didn't want to stay next to him. Last time she had, things had not turned so well.

"You deserve it, you know you do !"

"I have never, EVER, raised a hand on you ! This is called defamation, I could..."

"And what you're doing is called moral harassment. You're always calling me, or jumping out of nowhere ! Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if you put a tail on me !" she retorted with a glower.

Dan was probably an excellent comedian, for he looked genuinely surprised when she accused him of stalking her. "Do you realize how insane that sounds ?"

"Look, it's not the time nor the place to discuss this. Now would you please leave, because as you pointed it out yourself quite loudly, I have a restraining order. Which means you's better be gone when I call the police."

He smirked at that, "You wouldn't..." He stopped in his tracks when he gave a quick look on his left and finally noticed her, despite all her will and efforts to look transparent. "Oh, hi Brooke. How are you ?"

Brooke stared at him, startled. He was casually smiling at her, as if he was talking to an old friend he hadn't seen in a while. She stayed silent, waiting for his next sentence. "Leave her alone," Deb told him, taking steps towards him until she bumped into the bar.

He rolled his eyes, "I'm just talking to her."

"It's already too much," she said, her voice trembling. "Go away Dan, no one wants you here."

He glowered back at her, then turned to Brooke, "Sorry you had to witness this," he told her with a sigh. "This discussion is not over," he added for his soon-to-be ex-wife.

He spun around and under the half-bemused, half-shocked gazes of the clients, started to walk away. The words came out of her mouth before she'd even realized it. "That's it ?" she asked, making Deb turn to her, raising an eyebrow.

Dan froze and turned to look at her, "Sorry, what ?"

"That's it ?" she repeated aloud, her voice quavering against her will. "There's nothing else you want to tell me ? No apology ?"

His face stiffened for a moment, before quickly getting back to its usual cool. "What are you talking about Brooke ?"

She hadn't thought about it.

She hadn't thought about it for the past two weeks and when Karen had mentioned his name, it was as if she had lived again that creepy and awkward moment with him at the hotel bar. And she had realized that he had still not come to apologize to her for his repulsive behavior. She remembered trying to find him excuses that night, when Lucas and Nathan had wanted to go against him. Maybe he was too drunk. Maybe he had had a terrible day. Maybe he... Maybe nothing at all. Why would she find him any excuses ? He had acted inappropriately with her, period. He had no excuses, and she, of all people, didn't have to find him any.

She lifted her chin, "I'm talking about your hand on my thigh," she told him in a low voice, so that only he and Deb could hear her..

He frowned and walked back up to her, "I still don't see what you're talking about."

"Brooke," Deb started saying with a worried tone, "you don't have to..."

She stopped her with a vague hand movement, her eyes stuck on Dan. "Funny, cause I saw it perfectly happen. And I'm not the only one who saw it." Okay, she had to admit that she wasn't sure of that. There was probably someone else who had seen him... Probably. But he didn't have to know that.

He didn't seem to notice she was bluffing, for his face went white, and his mouth opened without any sound coming from it for a few seconds. "You... You're lying." he eventually told her with an anxious tone.

"I'm not." she firmly said, praying that he wouldn't see through her lies. "But if you don't want to believe, fine. Just don't say I didn't warn you when this Monday you receive a phone call from the principal telling you he wants to see you asap."

"You..."

"But..." she said, tilting her head, "I might reconsider if you agree to stay away from Nathan and Deb."

He frowned, looking both dumbstruck and angry at the same time. "Are you blackmailing me ?"

Strictly speaking, yes, that was what she was doing. "I'm just advising you to stay away from them, at least as long as they don't want to see you." she said with a shrug.

Beads of sweat were trickling down her nape that he thankfully couldn't see. "Fine," he muttered, looking down for a second and back at her with cold eyes.

He walked away, this time for good, and Brooke held her breath until he had crossed the door.

When he was gone, she let out a long sigh, her head dropping in one hand, elbow on the bar.

"I can't believe I just threatened him..." she whispered, her face turning to Deb.

"You didn't have to," she told her with a small frown, "but... I'm glad you did."

She answered with a smile; truthfully, she hadn't planned to use that creepy memory against Dan, but now that she had, she felt a bit relieved.

She got up and walked to the table near the door, where her clients had been asking for their check. They were taking out their coins from their wallets when the door opened again, letting in a warm breeze. She broke into a smile when she saw Lucas coming in; his eyes landed on her and as he stepped by her side, she noticed that he looked nervous.

"Hi," he said in a soft though anxious voice.

"How was your meeting ?"

"Very useless."

She took the money from her clients, thanked them for the tip and wished them a good afternoon. He followed her to the bar, where she sat across from Deb.

"Are you working today too ?" Deb asked him, an eyebrow raised.

He shook his head. "No, I'm just passing by."

"Oh, okay," she stood up. "I'm gonna check on Karen."

Brooke walked around the bar to get her seat back. She glanced over her shoulder, followed Deb with her eyes as she left them, and looked at Lucas with a slight frown. "You think she knows about us ?" she asked him, pouring him a cup of coffee.

"No," he said, sounding surprised she would ask that. He took the cup she was handing him, "There's no way my mother would tell her anything."

"But maybe she just guessed," she said with a shrug, before showing a playful grin. "Karen said it's pretty obvious that you're into me."

He chuckled, slowly shaking his head, "She just knows me very well." His light tone disappeared and he suddenly looked anxious again. "I, erm... I saw Dan on my way. Did he stop here ?"

"Yeah, you missed him," she said with what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "He came to see Deb."

"Oh. Did... Did he talk to you too ?" he asked with a frown.

"A little. I kindly asked him to stop harassing Nathan and Deb if he didn't want me to tattle on his drunken habits."

Lucas coughed and almost choked on his drink, surprising her. "You did _what_ ?"

"I kindly asked him to –" He burst into a loud laugh, making her stop talking for a short while. "What's so funny ?" she asked him when his laugh was becoming contagious.

He shook his head, and gradually calmed down, catching his breath. "What's funny is that I got worried about you when I saw him, and clearly, I didn't have to."

She grinned from ear to ear, "Disappointed that I'm no damsel in distress for you to save ?"

"I guess I'll have to find another one to rescue then." he replied with the same grin. "You're no ordinary girl, you know that ?"

She raised an eyebrow with faked bafflement, "Ha ! And you _just_ realized that ?!"

 **Nathan Scott**

His eyes shot open when something bumped into his head. He raised his eyebrows and, alarmed, looked around to see what was going on.

Haley was staring at him with a disapproving look, shaking her head in dismay.

"You're not supposed to sleep now," she told him before turning her back to him to return to her books.

She was still sitting at his desk, while he was lying on his bed, a history book wide open next to his legs. A little confused, he glanced at the cushion his girlfriend had apparently thrown in his face to wake him up, and realized he had fallen asleep.

"I was just taking a nap," he told her, sitting back on his bed.

"You were snoring," she retorted mockingly.

"It's not my fault if these chapters are so boring !"

She didn't turn to him, but shook her head once again. "Not my problem."

"Come on Hales, where's your tutoring spirit ?"

She sighed and spun on her chair to face him. "Alright, what do you suggest ?"

He grinned inwardly, and with a quick head movement, gestured toward her bag. "Do you have your flashcards with you ?"

He already knew the answer though. Lately, she never left her house without them. "You want to use them ?" she asked with surprise, which he could understand. So far, he had never sounded interested in her flashcards.

"Yeah, we can take turn asking questions." he said with a shrug, a smile appearing on the corner of his lips.

She squinted, "And ?"

"And," he said with a wider smile, "we spice them up a little. So that I stay awake."

Haley shrugged and bent over her bag to fetch her cards. "What do you mean, spice them up ?" she asked him, taking her pack of cards and dividing it in two equal piles.

"How about everytime we get something wrong we have to take off one item of clothing ?"

"Ha !" she exclaimed, rolling her eyes. "I'll pass."

"I don't see what's wrong with that," he answered with a shrug. "As a matter of fact, it's all to your advantage, you have way higher chances to see me strip than I to see you – "

"We're not doing this Nate !" she cried with a chuckle.

"And why not ?"

"Because you need to focus." she said, pointing at him.

He raised an eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure that the idea of getting you naked would make me very, _very_ focused. Or..." he said, straightening up with a smirk, "Maybe you're just scared of losing against me ? You think you'll get naked first ?"

"Wh – How could that happen ?" she snorted.

"Then prove me wrong," he said with a shrug.

"Fine !" she said, throwing him half of the cards.

He swiftly caught them, and raised his eyes to her, holding back a laugh. He had never thought it would be so easy to convince her, and now that he had, he was not letting her change her mind.

 **Peyton Sawyer**

After what had seemed to her, and to most of the student population, like never ending exams, Peyton had an oddly hard time realizing it was all over now.

The week had gone by so fast that she hadn't even had the time to think about it. And now that it was behind her, she didn't want to. Now, she had other things to think about.

She turned to glance at Brooke, who was sitting at the bar, happily chatting with Nathan. He had been so stressed this week, that it was almost disappointing to see him so relieved now; she would miss laughing at his morning fits of panic.

They both came back with a tray full of drinks and cakes and went back to their seats. Julian raised his glass, quickly mimicked by the rest of them.

"To the end of the worst week of our lives !" he cheerfully announced.

"You mean so far," Peyton added mockingly.

"Shut up and drink, Sawyer." Brooke told her with a chuckle.

She grinned back at her and did as she was told. Brooke was about to drink too but stopped, and with a frown took out her phone.

"What is it ?" Haley asked her.

"I've got a mail..." she said, checking it. "Fuck." she breathed out, her eyes growing wide.

"What's wrong ?" Nathan asked her with a frown.

"Urgh," she groaned before lowering her head. "I can't believe I forgot this..."

"Forgot what ?" he asked her urgently.

She looked up at him, "I just got a reminder that my help is requested for Promaration. And yours too Sawyer."

"Promaration ?" Julian repeated, puzzled.

"Prom preparation."

What was she talking about ?

It took her another second to remember that indeed, her friend had volunteered earlier this year to help with the installation. She had been so excited at that time when she had written down both of their names on the volunteering list. Peyton had not been that excited and had first told her she wouldn't help, but had given in to her friend's relentless begging.

Well, maybe it would help her to come back to her sense and finally decide to go to prom !

"Maybe I can call in sick ?"

"No way," Peyton told her with a death stare, pointing at her. "You pulled me into this so you better not bail on me !"

Brooke was about to protest, but eventually let out a long sigh instead, her head hanging down. "Alright, I'll help too." she said before standing up, "I need to tell Karen I might be late next week."

She walked away under their stares and as soon as she was out of sight, they all turned to each other. "So, she's still not going ?" Nathan asked her.

"Nope. I didn't insist this week but I'm pretty sure she hasn't changed her mind." Peyton said with a sigh.

"And all that because she can't go with... With You-know-who ?"

"It's a big deal for her," Haley told him with a frown, "how would you feel if you couldn't go with me ?"

"I get it," he sighed, "but we can't change that, can we ? Half of the school will be there, even the principal will chaperone us !"

"What if he was there too ?" Julian mused out loud. "Would she go then ?"

"Maybe," Peyton said with a shrug. "But how can he go, he's a teacher..."

"Yeah, but Nathan's right, we'll have chaperones. I'm sure the school won't say no to an extra volunteering teacher..."

"Oh." Haley said with a smile. "You're right, that means he can come too !"

"Alright, then it's settled." Nathan said, pulling out his phone.

"What are you doing ?" Julian asked him, watching over his shoulder to find out.

"Texting my brother to tell him to volunteer before it's too late."

"Did you just say brother ?"

They all raised their heads to see that Brooke had returned and was towering them, eying Nathan with a curious look.

"Yeah, you know him. Tall, blonde, used to play bas –"

"I've never heard you call him your brother." she cut him off, sitting next to him.

"What ?" he said, surprised. "I've always called him..."

"No," Haley interrupted him, "you always say _half_ -brother."

"It's literally the first time you've called him like that in front of us."

Nathan blushed a little, apparently embarrassed by this discovery. "Yeah, well, things change. Anyway," he cleared his throat, "we have good news for you."

"Are you taking my place from Promaration ?"

"No, I'm not, and whoever came up with that name needs to see a doctor" he said with a smile. "The good news is that my brother will be there !"

Brooke didn't really react as they had expected. She stared at him with a slight frown, "Be where ?"

"At prom."

Brooke tilted her head, looking confused. "What are you talking about ? He can't, he's not a student and –"

"He's gonna chaperone us ! So now you can come too, you'll be –"

"Wow, wait a sec," she told him with a deeper frown. "Since when is he part of the chaperoning team ?"

"Since just now," he told her, swinging his phone under her nose.

For some reason, she now looked even more upset. "Did you tell him to do that ?"

Nathan glanced at them all, and told her with a nervous voice, "Well, we thought it could get you to come... Somebody help me here !" he cried to them, gesturing towards the brunette.

"Yeah, erm," Haley said, clearing her throat, "since you were depressed about not being able to go with him, we thought it was the best way for you guys to be in the same room."

"That way you won't miss your prom," Peyton added.

Brooke still looked upset, but now she also seemed to be thankful. "Listen guys, that's really nice of you, but... I'm still not going."

"What ?!" Peyton said, raising her eyebrows. "Why ?"

"Because... I've already told you why ! I can't go with the partner I want. And it doesn't matter if he can come, because he won't be with me. Sure, we'll be in the same room and we can talk without arousing suspicion but... We can't even dance together. One dance with him, that's all I want, and I can't have it."

"Brooke..." Nathan started saying.

"I'm not complaining, alright ?" she cut him off, shaking her head. "I'm not. This is all happening because of the choices I made."

"But that doesn't mean you can't enjoy this night like everyone else !" Haley told her with a frown.

"It's exactly what it means," she quietly said. "Stop feeling sorry for me, I'm not –" she stopped as they all heard Karen's voice calling her from afar. "I'll be right back. And when I am, I don't want to see your depressed faces. I want happy, post-finals faces !"

They once again watched her walk away, "So I guess we can't do anything, then," Julian said with a sigh.

One dance. That was all she wanted, and it was quite reasonable and understandable, but unfortunately, it wasn't possible... Unless... "Hey, you said everyone would be there," she told Nathan.

"Yes. So ?"

"So, they'll be in the gym, right ? And if everyone's in the gym..."

"Then no one's outside," Haley said, turning to her with a bright look. "You're right !"

"So what if there's no one outside ?" Nathan asked them, confused. "How does that help..."

"But we still need to convince Brooke to go," Haley told her, ignoring the boys' confused faces.

Well, she might have an idea about that... "I think I know how to," she told her with a grin.

 **Lucas Scott**

Lucas raised his eyes a second, following Brooke who had been talking to her clients for a few minutes now. She seemed to be in an excellent mood, so maybe now was the right time to talk to her.

Last Friday, Peyton had called him to have a talk. He had first been surprised to see that she was calling him, and after quickly explaining to him that Nathan had given her his number, she had told him why she was calling him. She needed his help with convincing Brooke to go to prom.

He hadn't even known she wasn't going. They hadn't talked about it, but it had seemed natural to him that she would go. Everyone was going, and Brooke being who she was, he had thought she would be thrilled to go. He had been a little surprised, yes, that she hadn't talked about it at all to him, but he had figured that she was too busy with her finals.

And now it turned out that she wasn't planning on going at all, despite her friends' pleas. Since Peyton's phone call, he had vainly tried to talk to her about it, and they were now Tuesday night, which didn't leave him with much time to convince her.

"You look troubled."

His head shot up and he saw that she was now sitting across from him, a slight smile on her lips. Her head was tilted to the side, a quizzical look filling her eyes.

"I'm not," he assured her. "Well, maybe a little," he added when she made a face clearly indicating that she wasn't buying it.

"Can I help you ?"

"Have you found a dress for prom ?"

She shifted on her stool, taken aback. "How does that have to do with you looking troubled ?"

"I was just wondering," he said with what he hoped was a casual shrug.

"Erm..." she looked down to her hands, hesitating. "No, I haven't."

"Really ?" he said, feigning surprise. "I thought you –"

"Oh no." she interrupted him, her eyes growing wide. "They told you didn't they ? Who was it ? Nathan ?"

"Peyton," he admitted with a soft smile. "Why didn't you tell me you're not going ?"

"You never asked me," she replied with an innocent look.

"I never thought you wouldn't go !" he retorted, his hands moving up in the air. "Is that true, what she told me ? You're not going because of me ?"

"Is that what she said ? She wasn't even supposed to tell you any –"

"Answer the question, Brooke," he cut her off.

She opened her mouth, though no sound came out of it. "It's not really because of you," she eventually said, lowering her voice and her eyes, "it's just that I don't see the point in going if I can't be with you."

"You really don't see it ?" he asked her, raising an eyebrow.

She looked up at him, confused. "No, I don't. Why would I go if I can't even dance with you ?"

Oh crap, he really wanted to take her in his arms right now. "Prom is not just about dancing with your boyfriend, Brooke. It's about making memories with your friends. They'll all be there, and you know very well that after that night, and graduation, you won't be able to meet all together for a while."

"I know that," she retorted with a frown, "but I don't want to ruin their night simply because I'm moping about not –"

"Then don't mope," he told her with a chuckle. "And I doubt you would ruin their night, they're trying really hard to get you to go with them."

"But..."

"No buts," he said, raising his hand to shush her. "Believe me, you'll regret it if you don't go. Plus, we'll have plenty of other occasions to dance together, you have my word." he added with a lopsided smile.

Her eyes brightened up a bit. "That's a big promise you're making, sir." she said with a hint of a smile.

He pointed his forefinger towards his chest, right where his heart was, and drew an invisible cross on it. She bit her lower lip, clearly hesitating. "Come on, Brooke, if you don't go, who's gonna be Prom queen ?"

She let out a small laugh, "I guess I don't have a choice then."

 **Brooke Davis**

"Brooke, they're here !"

"I'm coming !" she shouted back as loud as she could.

She took a last look in her mirror; her hair was perfectly standing on one side with loose curls, her make-up was on, her dress was fitting, and... Her shoes ! Where were her shoes ?!

She looked around her in a hurry, bending in an awkward position in a desperate attempt not to crease her dress. She had found it at a last-minute notice, thanks to Haley who had spotted it just the day before. She had texted her, telling her there was a dress she might like. She couldn't have been more right; she absolutely loved it ! It was quite simple, with a typical V-neck and double spaghetti straps that formed into a slimming ruched open-back, but she looked awesome in it. After all, red had always been her color.

Her eyes scanned the whole room and didn't notice any shoes, so she hurriedly stormed off and came running down her stairs. She froze, a hand on the rail, when she saw her father standing at the end of the stairs, holding her shoes in one hand.

"Brooke," he breathed out after a long second of silence, "you look... Stunning."

She smiled and slowly walked down the few steps left to reach him. "Thanks dad." she said, taking her shoes from him.

He took a step back, his eyes becoming watery, "I can't believe my little girl is..."

"Oh dad," she cut him with a hug, taking him by surprise, "don't cry."

"I'm not crying," he defended, though his voice wasn't perfectly stable. "I'm just a little emotional." He pulled her away from him, keeping his hands on her bare shoulders. "It's too bad your mother couldn't catch an early flight to see you."

She chuckled, "That's what this camera around your neck is for, isn't it ? Oh wait, where are they ?"

"Here."

They both turned their heads when they heard Peyton's voice coming from the living room. She stepped in the hall, grinning from ear to ear.

"Sawyer you look hot !" she told her, putting her shoes on. "You're okay too, Julian," she told him with a wink when he appeared behind her friend.

He laughed, glancing at Peyton. "Thanks. I tried my best since I'm going to prom with two girls," he said with a proud smile.

Peyton gave him a nudge, staring at him with a frown, "That was your plan all along, wasn't it ?"

Brooke had wanted to go on her own at first, but they had insisted she should go with them. She didn't want to bother them but Peyton had told her that she would go with them, or they wouldn't go at all.

"Alright, time for some pictures now !" Ted exclaimed cheerfully.

"Fine, but let's make it quick, we're already late," she told her father.

The three of them turned their heads to her, all looking exasperated. "And whose fault do you think it is, huh ?"

 **Nathan Scott**

Holding four drinks at the same time, he made his way through the crowd to reach the table his friends had picked earlier. He let out a sigh of relief when he reached destination without breaking any glass, and handed his friends their drinks.

"Thanks Nate," Brooke told him with a smile.

He sat next to Haley, who smiled at him, her hand sliding into his. He squeezed it and leaned closer to her ear, "Have I told you how beautiful you look ?"

"Three times already," she said with a chuckle, "but you can keep saying it, I don't mind."

He sat back on his chair, sipping on his drink. Brooke was sitting in front of him, her eyes wandering from table to table, her mouth slightly turned into a frown.

"What are you looking for ?" he asked her, leaning over the table.

She turned to him, "I can't see your brother."

They had seen him an hour ago and Brooke had spent some time with him, though carefully maintaining a safety distance between them. Then they had all danced a bit, and he was now nowhere to be seen, all according to their plan, unbeknownst to her.

"He's probably helping the other teachers." he told her with a shrug.

"What teachers ?" she said, gesturing around them, "They're all here."

"Maybe he just went to the toilets ?"

"And where did Peyton go ?" she asked with a frown.

"She went to get something in her car," Julian told her, his eyes suddenly shifty, his forehead oddly sweating. Jesus, this guy was a terrible liar.

"Her car ?"

"Yeah," Nathan said, "she forgot her..."

"Lipstick," Haley said for him.

"Oh, okay."

"Speaking of," she said, her hand rummaging her small handbag, "can you give this to Rachel ?" she asked her, handing her a tube of lipstick.

Brooke took it in her hands, her eyes going from the small tube to Haley. "Sure, but... Why don't you go yourself ?"

"Well, because... I'm supposed to help with the drinks."

"You are ?" she asked surprised.

"Yeah."

"Fine," she said with a shrug, standing up.

She walked away, and they all sighed in relief. "I didn't think she would buy it !" Julian cried, his head tilted back.

"We don't have time to talk now," Haley said, shooting up on her feet, "it's time."

"Already ?" Nathan asked, mimicking her. "Is everything ready ?"

"Yeah, Peyton smuggled some of the fairy lights that were supposed to be used in here, and..." she said, pulling her phone out, "It's all clear, she's ready and standing at the West door."

"I'm taking East, right ?" Julian asked her, doubt crossing his face.

"Yup. I'm North, and Nate..."

"I'll take Brooke at the South," he said with a nod, "roger."

"Alright," she said, clapping her hands, "and remember, no one can come in or out of these doors for the next thirty minutes."

She tiptoed and gave him a peck on his cheek before running off to the door she was about to guard. Julian gave him a nod before leaving too.

He looked around him, searching for Brooke; there she was, busy talking with Rachel and Mouth. He quickly walked over to them, bumping into a few people on his way, and when he arrived, didn't bother to tell them what was going on and grabbed Brooke by the arm before pulling her away from the tables.

"What the hell Nate, I was talking to them !" she cried, baffled.

"I don't have time to explain, but we have to hurry," he told her, striding towards his door.

"Where are we going ?" she asked him, speeding her pace to match his. "Why are we going to the exit ? Nate ?"

He stayed silent until they had reached the double door, around which fortunately nobody was standing. Good, that meant he didn't have to scare anyone away. He put his hand on the handle and turned to Brooke.

"You have thirty minutes once you're out, got it ?"

She was looking at him as if he had gone completely mad. "What the hell are you talking about ? Thirty minutes for what ?"

"Just go to Peyton's car and you'll see."

"See what ?!"

"Just go already !" he shouted, yanking the door open before quickly shoving her out.

 **Brooke Davis**

She almost fell as he threw her out. Regaining her balance, she turned to the door, ready to yell at him and ask him why he was acting so crazy, but froze when he shut the door to her face.

What the hell was going on ?

First Lucas disappeared, then Peyton. Now Nathan was throwing her out of the gym, and Haley and Julian were gone too. And what were those thirty minutes he had told her about ? What thirty minutes ?

She took a step to the door, put a hand on the handle and pulled on it with all her strength; the door didn't budge. Nathan was actually keeping her out, but why would he do that ?

She turned around, groaned, and decided to try the other door. On her way there, she stopped, a quiet sound reaching her ears. It was coming from the parking lot, and sounded like a music, though she was too far to know which one.

Go to Peyton's car, he had told her.

She sighed, and resigned herself to obey him, even though he had sounded like a mad man. She would go to the car and then come back to the gym to yell at Nathan.

The parking lot was plunged into darkness, so she couldn't really hurry to the car. But after a few steps in the right direction, she realized that there was a source of light several feet away from her, where she was supposed to go. Intrigued, she walked a little faster; the closer she was getting, the more she could see and hear.

Someone had put fairy lights around the alley where Peyton had parked. And not just that, there were also candles on the ground and on the cars. Candles of all sizes, forming a circle centered by a spot in the middle of the alley.

He came out from behind a car just as she was reaching the circle. She froze, watching him walk towards her with a wide grin, his eyes almost shining.

That was when she recognized the music coming from Peyton's car. It was that song Peyton had her listen to a few days ago; for some reason, she had taken out a bunch of discs from her shelves and had asked her which ones she preferred. What was it again ? The Plates ? Platters ? Something about smoke and eyes.

She didn't really get the time to think harder about it, for Lucas was now standing right in front of her.

"Hi," he told her in a quiet, soft tone.

She opened her mouth but became unable to form words. "Hi," she said after a long silence. "I don't understand, what's... What's going on ?"

"Well, you said you wanted to dance, so..." he gestured around them.

"B – But how... Why..."

He chuckled, amused by her confusion. "Your friends came up with the idea. Peyton took the lights from the school supplies..." Oh, right. Earlier that day, when they had put on the lights in the gym, one of the students responsible for them had completely freaked out when she had realized that some were missing. "And she came here to put them on. I just lit the candles, all I had to do was wait for you," he said with a shrug.

"But what if someone comes..."

"They're guarding all the doors like pitbulls," he replied with a grin. "Her words, not mine."

She looked around them, dazzled and short of words. "So, erm..."

"So, we have thirty minutes for us," he said, glancing at his wrist-watch. "Well, twenty-six now."

"You... They did this for me ? For us ?" she asked, her voice eerily quiet now.

"We'll have to thank them later." he said, stretching out a hand to her. "So, can I have this dance or not ?" he asked with a little impatience.

She laughed, shaking her head, "Like I'd say no to that," she said, taking his hand in hers.

He took her to the center, slid an arm around her waist and placed their intertwined hands to his chest. She gave out a sigh and rested her head against him, her body slowly moving with his as the music lulled them.

She still couldn't believe they had done that for her. How long had they been planning this ? Before she had even decided to come ? Or after ? And how had Peyton managed to steal these lights without anyone noticing ? And where the hell had they found so many candles ?

She closed her eyes, listening to his heartbeat. It didn't really matter for now. She would get her answers in half an hour, and would profusely thank her friends for their gift. But for now, she would stop thinking about all that.

For now, she would just dance.

* * *

Well, that's it. Technically, it's not officially over, there's still a little something I want to write in order to wrap this story, so you can expect one final and short update (this weekend if all goes well).

I hope you liked this one :) Huuuuge huge thanks for the reviews and PMs, and mostly thank you for simply reading.


	17. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

How the fuck had he managed to lose it ?

Well, technically he hadn't lost it, he had simply gotten the wrong jacket, the one that had _not_ been carrying his precious speech in its inner pocket. The same speech he had had an awful ton of difficulty writing.

And now here he was, panicking in the small dressing room he had been assigned to, waiting to receive an award to which he had no acceptance speech.

Lucas had called Brooke a little earlier to see if she had the time to swing by his place and bring him his vest, but she had already been on her way here and when she had suggested she could still make a U-turn and be on time, he had told her that she didn't have to, he'd figure something. Right now, he was definitely regretting his decision... What was he going to do without a speech ?

He jumped up from his seat when the door swung open from behind him, and saw Lindsay's reflection in the mirror in front of him, looking extremely excited to see him.

"The room is almost full !"

"Is it ?" he asked when she came over to peck him. "I kinda wished everyone forgot to come."

"Why would you do that ?" she replied, raising an eyebrow. "Since when are you bad with crowds, you're like a fish in a tank when you're touring !"

"Yeah, but I never had to do a speech on my tours, and I happen to have forgotten mine."

"As long as you remember to mention me," she said with a light punch on his shoulder, "it's all good." She turned around, swiftly digging her right hand in her purse and pulling a cigarette out of it. "I gotta find someone with a lighter," she said with a quick gaze to him. "Can you tell my new intern that she's expected at 8 am sharp on Monday ?"

"You can tell her yourself, there's a buffet once all the awards are given away."

"Seriously ?" she asked, pulling her invitation from her bag. "Where is... Oh," she said, apparently reading the card for the first time. "Not bad, from a good caterer too." she added with an apparently satisfied grin. "You should get one of these RITA awards more often."

"Sure, they're so easy to get," he said with a chuckle, rolling his eyes.

"You got long contemporary romance this time, why not shoot for erotic romance next time ?"

"Not quite my style of writing," he said, holding back a laugh. "And I've already advanced a lot on my new book, so..."

"Still not giving me any clue, huh ?" she asked with a slight frown.

"Nope." he grinned, "You'll have to wait this time."

Not that it was such a big secret. His mother, Brooke and Nathan knew about it, which meant Peyton and Haley probably knew about it too... But it was just so entertaining to see Lindsay fretting about not knowing.

"Fuck, I need to go now or I won't be able to smoke this one ! See you on stage !"

She barely gave him any time to respond and ran off. He sighed and plumped down on his chair, turning his face to look at his reflection. He had to do something about his speech, it's not like he had had someone else to write it ! He had written it himself, so it was surely still there somewhere in his mind...

How did it start ? Oh right, first he had to thank the jury for granting him the honour of...

He stopped in his tracks when he heard two knocks on his door. He let out a sigh and got on his feet to open the door.

"Wha – I thought you couldn't come !" he cried, his lips breaking into a wide smile.

"How can we miss Brooke's coronation ?" his brother said with a grin, entering the room with Haley.

"Wow, it's been a while," he told them, leaning over to give her a quick hug.

"I know," she said, her arms squeezing him before turning to Nathan, "I'm glad we could come."

"And by the way," Lucas said while closing the door, "you do know that I'm the one receiving an award, not Brooke ?"

"Yeah, but if she hadn't been there, you wouldn't have written anything," he retorted, sitting on the chair he had been occupying so far. Haley walked past him to sit on the dressing table. "Where is she, we thought she'd already be here ?"

"She's on her way," he said, walking to them. "She left half an hour ago."

"How's the cohabitation going ?" Haley asked him with a slight smile.

"Well pretty good considering that it's already the third summer we're spending together and we still haven't killed each other," he said, making them chuckle.

Obviously, things had not been easy at the beginning, but they had slowly learnt to live with one another and had found their footing, and then they had had to live separately while Brooke was studying in Boston, until she was on holiday again.

"Oh, before I forget to tell you..." his brother said, his hand reaching into the inner pocket of his coat. "This season's last game is next Saturday, and... I saved you a ticket." he said, pulling it out to him.

Lucas walked another step to them and reached out his hand to grab it. "So you're officially cleared ?"

"Yup," he replied with a wide, reassured smile, taking them by surprise by jumping on his feet, "feels like my ankle is brand new !"

" That doesn't mean you can be careless," Haley told him with a squint.

Nathan had had a small fright when around two months ago he had fallen during a game and gotten himself a malleolus fracture. He had had to sit on the bench for six weeks, filling him with a great deal of frustration but also with worry about his future. Looks like he didn't need to worry anymore.

"Erm," he said with a frown, "I'm warning you though, Dan texted me yesterday... Said that he would come to see me. And," he said with a sigh, "as much as I'd love to, I can't really forbid him to come, but I did tell him that it would be no use to try to talk to us."

More like talk to _him..._ In the past two years, Dan had indeed tried countless times to fix his relationship with Nathan, so far in vain. Of course, knowing his tenacity, Dan was not about to give up just yet. Unfortunately for him, on this particular character trait, his son had definitely taken after him. "It's ok," he simply said with a shrug, "how's Deb doing ?"

"Great, she says hi and..."

Once again, the door swung open and the three of them turned at the same time to see Brooke enter the room, her phone stuck to her right ear, quickly followed by Karen.

"You're already here ?!" Brooke cried in a surprise she apparently shared with his mother. She quickly walked up to her friends to hug them, while Karen was doing the same with him.

"I'm so proud of you," she whispered to his ear before letting him go, staring at him with a warm smile. "I'll talk to you later, I'm gonna get us some front seats before there's none left !"

"Alright," he told her with a nod. Oh god, the speech, he had almost forgotten that... That he had forgotten it. What the hell was he going to do now ? He couldn't possibly improvise and...

"Hey", Brooke told him, walking up to him to leave a soft kiss on his cheek, "what's got you this worried ? Your speech ?"

"Erm, yeah," he told her with a forced chuckle, "I just realised that..."

He got cut by a voice coming from Brooke's cellphone, that she was still holding in one hand. "Shit," she said with an apologetic face, bringing it up back to her ear, "sorry, I was just saying hi to Nate et Haley. Yeah, right next to me. Peyton says hi," she told them with a grin. " And so does Julian," she added after rolling her eyes. "Yeah, he's there too. Erm..." she said with a quick glance to him, "he looks a little nervous. Alright, I'll tell him. She says congrats for the award," she told him before quickly adding, "and so does Julian."

"Thanks," he murmured, going back to his chair to sit down. Congratulations weren't going to help him here, he needed to focus on his speech. He could probably recall most it if he could just...

"Really ?" he heard Brooke say with amusement in her voice, "And what's that ? Oh," she said with a quiet laugh, making it impossible for him to focus on anything at all, "alright I'll tell him. I got to go now, say hi to Julian for us." She hung up and came to sit on the armrest, "Don't worry, you'll be fine. You just have to go on that stage when they call your name, get your award, thank every person that comes to your mind for three minutes and then it will all be over."

"Easier said than done..." he murmured with a brooding stare.

"Hey you know what ? Haley did her speech two years ago, today."

"Exactly two years ago ?" she asked her, frowning and apparently counting in her head. " Oh my god you're right ! I can't believe it's already been two years..." she added with a hint of amazement in her voice.

Nathan let out a small laugh, looking at Haley, "Do you remember how panicky you were ?" he asked before looking at his brother. "For a week she kept having nightmares that she was stumbling on her words or getting mute right before her grad speech."

" You don't know how much stress that was for me !" she told him with reprimanding eyes.

"Yeah, but in the end, you nailed it," Brooke told her with a wink. "You even got a standing ovation," she said before looking back at Lucas. "You know, erm..." she muttered, suddenly nervous, "maybe I could help you with your speech."

"You want to help me rewrite it ?" he asked with surprise. Fifteen minutes was a very short amount of time to write a brand new speech.

"Erm, not quite, no... I might have _accidentally_ read your speech," she admitted with a face.

"You... What ?" he said, taken aback. "I told you I didn't want you to read it !" Or anyone, really. He had worked so hard on it, he wanted it to be a surprise for everyone, including Brooke; well, especially Brooke. After all, Nathan was right, she had had a huge role in him getting this award.

"I know, I'm sorry, but I, erm... Accidentally found it." she said, emphasising on the last words.

They both turned their heads when they heard Nathan chuckle. With a stealthy look, he noticed Brooke's sudden death stare directed at him and immediately stopped laughing. Lucas let out a small sigh, "Accidentally, huh ?" he asked Brooke.

She turned to him, a slight blush appearing on her cheeks, "Well, _maybe_ I was snooping around when I found it ?" she admitted, looking worried about his reaction. How was he supposed to be mad at her when she looked at him with those Disney level puppy eyes ?

Relief crossed her face when she she saw his lopsided grin, "Good thing you're curious then, now you can help me with it."

"We should leave you to work," Nathan told them with a grin and a slap on his brother's shoulder that was probably meant to cheer him up. He turned around, his hand sliding into Haley's, and they both left the room.

"Alright," Brooke said, leaning over the floor to get her bag and take a notepad and a pen out of it, her hair tickling his face when she sat up straight, "let's start with the beginning, then."

"Erm..." he said with a slight frown, "First I thank the jury and the organizers."

"Then your publisher and of course Lindsay," she said, scribbling all this down on paper.

Right, Lindsay. "By the way, you're expected this Monday at 8 am sharp in her office, I think she'll give you more details this evening."

"Mmh, okay," she said with a nod. "I still can't believe she took me for my internship... I feel like I've robbed someone else of a great internship but then at the same time... I'm really glad I get to stay with you," she added, her fingers running through his hair.

"For the hundredth time Brooke," he said, rolling his eyes, "I didn't ask her anything, and even if I had, you know Lindsay is not the kind to accept favours like these. She chose you because it was your application file that interested her the most, nothing else."

"If you say so," she murmured with an embarrassed shrug, making him smile. "So, erm, where were we ? Lindsay, and..."

"The tour staff," he added with a nod.

"Right," she said, writing it down. "And then Karen, obviously. Oh and you end it with that quote from Julius Caesar ! See, we only have to fill in the middle now," she said with a radiant look.

"Erm, I talk about Tree Hill, my first book, and then..." he stopped, glancing at her with meaningful eyes.

She didn't really have the reaction he had expected though, her mouth turning into a frown, her eyebrows touching each other. "Right," she said with a sigh, "the meteorite."

"What, you don't like the comparison ?" he asked in surprise.

"It's just..." she said, hesitating. "It's not very flattering to be compared to a meteorite. I get that the stars and sky stuff is a link to your book, but... A meteorite ?" she said, her eyebrows raised. "A comet, sure. A shooting star would be nice too. But a meteorite, it just sounds violent and..."

She stopped when she heard his laugh, and waited for him to calm down and give her an explanation. "You don't get it, do you ? Comets and shooting stars are nice, sure, but you only see them passing in the sky. Yes, they stun you for a moment, but then... Then the moment is gone and you move on. And eventually they're just a memory that fades away. Meteorites, on the other hand, they're the only type of rocks that actually land on Earth and, erm... leave an impact on it."

"Oh," she said, her cheeks turning crimson. It looked like she understood now why he had chosen this word...

"But if you want, I can still change it to..."

"No !" she said, alarmed, "I don't mind it so much now," she added, making him smile.

"You really don't ? Cause I can find something else to – "

"Don't you dare change it," she cut him off, grabbing his chin and leaning over to briefly kiss him. When she sat back, her grin got suddenly a little wider, "Do you know what Peyton said you could do for stress relief ?"

"No, what ?"

"Well, it's actually something that _we_ can do," she added, cocking her head to the side. She didn't need to say another word, the new light brimming in her eyes was enough to make him understand what she meant.

"Oh, really ?" he said with a grin mimicking hers.

She leaned over, her lips softly brushing his neck all the way up to his ear. "So what do you say, sir ?"

He closed his eyes, her warm breath tickling his skin as she trailed kisses down his jawline.

Things had definitely changed, in a good way, since the beginning of their relationship. Now she was being pro-active, but two years ago, when they had first had sex, she had turned so shy... Well she had had reasons to, since she had only had sex once before that, and during a drunken accident too. But he had been quite nervous too. Sure, he had had much more experience than her, but... It had been a long, long time since he'd had sex while being in love. So in the end, after acting awkward around each other for a short while, when they had both figured that they were equally nervous, things had gotten much easier and more... natural.

He circled his arms around her waist and pulled her to him, making her squirm when she landed on his lap.

"Keep going," he managed to murmur, "it's already work –" He got stopped when her mouth met his, biting down on his lower lip and making him groan.

Shoot, if things went on like this, they would really end up...

They froze when they heard a chime resonate in the room. Brooke broke their kiss, a confused look appearing on her face.

"That's your cue," he told her with a sigh, his forehead glued to hers, " the ceremony is about to start."

"Okay," she whispered with a last peck on his cheek. She jumped on her feet, "Don't worry, you'll do great," she said before turning back one more time to swiftly kiss him and hurried to the door.

He took the piece of paper she had left on his lap and started reading the notes she had taken. One breath after another, and it would all be over soon... His eyes went from the first words about the jury and his mother, to the last words with the quote he had picked and...

And then he noticed she had written a few more words after that, and he knew that things would be fine, no matter what happened on that stage.

 _You're my meteorite too._

* * *

 _First of, I need to apologize for writing this around four months after my last chapter... I have a good excuse though, I've started working four months ago and my new schedule doesn't really give me time to properly sit down for a few hours to write an entire chapter (I probably never told you this, but I'm a young doctor). But it's finally here, and several years after I started writing this story (I just noticed, but I seriously wrote the first draft when I was 17, back in 2011), it's finally over. I have to admit that it pains me a little, but all good things come to an end, eventually._

 _I want to say a huge thanks to every person who came upon this story and gave it the attention they thought it deserved, even if it was just for a few chapters. And even bigger thanks to those who took the time to post reviews, because even if I know how many people read this story, it's still very satisfying to read comments. Not just satisfying, it motivates me to improve my writing._

 _So, a big shout out to (no precise order) : armapella, sunshine, dianehermans, BRUCAS, lucas, nena, nogitsunescoyote, wez, Manon, Natasha09, KM76, LovePJandBrucaslover, hope, Sara, SophieR, elizaxbethx3, , thibbs65, Guest, Alysef, Rockerbaby423, nothing16, Lauren and to all the others who'll comment in the future, until this story gets lost in the archives of this website._

 _I hope you've had as much fun to read this as I've had to write it. My characters weren't perfect, but I loved developping them._

 _Et un petit mot un français pour vous dire que les chapitres en français de cette fiction seront publiés prochainement + une autre histoire que j'ai écris il y a un petit moment et qui est la dernière que j'ai à poster ici._

 _Love,_

 _Christine_


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